Fantastic Foxes of Zootopia: Series 1
by J Shute
Summary: Nick and Judy meeting (Fantastic) Mr Fox's family was just the start. From acting hares to mechanic vixens, from an accounting hyena and red panda to two great mice detectives, all will come together to find their place in the city where anyone can be anything. But little do our heroes know about the trials they will soon face. Zootopia-Fantastic Mr Fox-Aggretsuko Super crossover
1. Acting out 1

**Fantastic Foxes of Zootopia: Season 1. Episode 1.**

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**Acting out**

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"_I felt like I could see everything that had happened, and everything that was going to happen. It was like a perfect pattern, laid out in front of me, and I realised that we were all part of it, and all trapped by it."_

_(From V for Vendetta)_

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**I'd like to welcome you to my maddest undertaking yet. Fantastic Foxes of Zootopia! This is going to be a tv series inspired piece of work, with multiple (and I mean lots of) fics per season. On FanFic, they'll all be together, whereas on A03 they'll all be apart (so subscribe to the FFOZ series).**

**Each part stands by its own, but they all contribute to this grand story. There'll also be a one-shot collection for all non-canon work (and bonus stuff) that I plan to put out soon. Two prequel fics, ''Different'' and 'Baby it's cold outside' have already been released, with the first essential reading. It's where the crossover between Fantastic Mr Fox is first made.**

**But we won't be stopping there! Not only will I be bringing in some favourite fanon characters in series 1, I'll be doing a crossover with Aggretsuko and a different Disney property in season 1 ALONE! That's not to mention a certain few crossovers that'll come into their own later, but are ticking quietly on in the background. I wonder if you'll be able to find them? Season 2 will really turn the crossover meter up to 11, and you can bet that some crazy stuff then follows in Season 3!**

**If this gets done, it'll be the ultimate king of the crossovers. I hope you'll all enjoy it, and I welcome you onto this Wilde ride!**

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**Chapter 1**

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Dr Amy Lupuleli's therapy office was opened late that night. The binturong tended to take extra-long shifts, packing her work load into a few days, before relaxing on those days that were left. It also helped her see certain mammals who liked to stay up late, or who had weekday jobs which they needed to fit their therapy around.

One in particular was a red fox who she'd recently become very accustomed too. Nick Wilde: Police Officer, sarcastic deflector, and a mammal who could ooze confidence yet used to choke up whenever he had to give truly personal information or feelings to people. He could keep it cool and run a complex operation, sweet-talking all the right mammals and playing with the highest stakes, but it would all fall apart if he had to truthfully tell stories about his shady past. He was brave, and could spin the worst insults into funny jokes, but his attempts to reveal his true feelings towards certain co-workers would devolve into an obfuscated mess of self-depreciation and corny lines. Especially when those true feelings were about one co-worker above all else. His partner, and the mammal he had deep unconfessed feelings for, one Judy Hopps.

Because, if there were two big causes of psychological strife in his life, one of them was that bunny.

The other was a certain fox called Nicholas Piberius Wilde.

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"I need to talk to you about something," he said seriously, looking over at her as he entered. That was new, and unexpected, and she watched the fox carry on talking as he settled himself down. "-About something that I realised earlier today. Something that's wrong with me, and I think… -I know, I need to work on."

"I'm open," she said, giving a reassuring smile. She had no idea what he'd be saying, but she needed to be prepared for all bases. These kinds of shifts in behaviour could bring up all kinds of psychological curveballs.

"It involved an undercover mission I was on earlier today," he continued. "Involving some very nasty mammals who _almost _got away with it." There was a pause, and a smile then grew across his muzzle. "It might be a bit bleak and dark, but trust me, no good guys were harmed and I think you'll love the ending."

Amy nodded. "I think I can handle it."

"Well…." The fox began, beginning his story….

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_Earlier that day…_

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Dawn.

Zootopia.

A perfectly normal day in the self-appointed jewel in the crown of mammalian civilization. Where everything was normal. Everything humdrum. Where mammals of multiple species just got on with their ordinary lives. The rising sun peeked above the skyscrapers and cast its glow to the streets below. The mammal tide of the night shift was returning home, but already the undercurrent of the morning shift had turned the flow. Doors opened, busses were packed and mammals big and small, young and old, were on their way to where they needed to be.

On that morning a red furred pair exited a taxi in the side streets of Savannah Central, the larger one knocking at a wooden door. He was dressed smart, his trousers finely pressed and his shirt clear, and a well-done tie swung in the breeze. He tapped his maroon foot on the floor, just waiting, as a commotion came from inside.

He wasn't sure why, maybe it was just a premonition, but he felt the need to hold the free paw of his little companion just a bit tighter. He knew everything would be fine, yet… -No, it was all a silly thought.

With a clatter the door was opened, and a homely looking brown bear greeted them. "Hello Mr Oshiro!" she said, a paw out.

The maned wolf standing in front of her smiled, giving a little bow, before he returned the favour. "Greetings Mrs Kuma," he said, the bear noticing that, like usual, he barely moved his muzzle as he spoke. Well, it did wiggle around up and down, but his mouth didn't seem to open up or close at all. She often wondered if he was a ventriloquist in his spare time, though he maintained that he simply worked for an accounting firm. "Though please, call me Ōokami."

She chuckled. "Sure…" And then, she turned down to the little figure that had been silent throughout the whole event. "Hello little Sagīshi," she greeted, remembering to draw out the first 'I' as if it were an '_ee_'.

The young pup looked up at her and smiled, pulling a quick paw up to wave. His fur was a coloured in a mix of dusty brownish-red and greyish-white, slowly maturing into his father's more vibrant hues but still carrying the lingering puppish brown tone that it would have been for most of his first few years. Likewise, he still had a larger head, and arms and legs that were much stumpier, than those his species were generally known for, though he was certainly as lithe and bushy tailed as his dad. Dressed in a green shirt, a pair of grey denim overalls and with a backpack on his back, his other paw held a salmon shaped chew toy tight against him. With his first paw, he slowly put his thumb across his palm and held it all up to his ear, before pulling it out in a long arc, extending his thumb as he did so.

"That's hello, isn't it?" the bear asked, the young pup nodding back.

There was a chuckle from his father, who put his paw down onto his son's head and ruffled up the fur a little. "It is," he said wistfully. "Isn't it, you clever little boy?"

Sagīshi nodded, before shuffling up closer to Ōokami, stretching up on his tip toes so that he could rub the side of his head up against his father, just above the larger canine's hip. A tail came around him, and he panted slightly from the happiness. Mrs Kuma couldn't help but squeal a bit, shifting around here and there on her feet. It came to an end though as the pup tried to giggle.

He couldn't, not that he knew.

The joyous squeaks came out more like hacked coughs, and Ōokami stopped the petting with a sigh. "Enjoy your morning with Mrs Kuma," he said, kneeling down to his son's level. "Behave. Be polite. Keep yourself clean and tidy." He paused, before leaning in and giving the bridge of his boy's muzzle a few parting grooms with his tongue. "Have lots of fun. I love you."

Sagīshi held his father tight in a hug, his head digging in just over the maned wolf's hip, with Ookami hugging back, before the younger canine let go and moved one of his paws down, over his heart. All but his two outermost fingers and his thumb went down, and he moved his palm in and out.

Ōokami couldn't help but sniff and repeat the action, before parting with one last kiss on his cheek. He got into his taxi and off he went, his son happily waving at him as he vanished into the distance.

"Well, little one," Mrs Kuma announced, smiling as she did so. One of the corners of the grin pulled up just a little, before she carried on. "It's just you here today, but I think we're going to have a _real_ lot of fun." She chuckled as she said it before taking the boys' paw, almost, but not quite, too low for her to reach, and leading him inside. He entered, toy in tow, and the door closed behind her hard. There was a clicking of a hard lock, a slam of a bolt, and a final, solid, rattling of a chain being locked shut.

…

The inside of the property was vast to the little pup, though it felt a bit cramped for the bear. Being a larger species, that tended to happen quite often. Still, it was good enough. The front of the building was a big open plan kitchen and lounge, the latter stocked up with some daycare facilities. There was a large changing table with a built-in cleaning sink; a chest full of toys; a big bookcase with a mix of books for all ages; a special set of sleeping cribs, arranged like a pull out filing cabinet so multiple mammals could sleep there; and a few massive playpens, with fabric mesh sides. For all intents and purposes, it looked like a well-stocked nursery, one where Sagīshi could play and enjoy the day.

He was set down, on Mrs Kuma's knee, and she began bouncing him happily up and down as she took his bag and began unpacking it. She spoke in a motherly tone, treated the items being taken out with care and seemed to be perfectly happy with the young pup she was in charge of. In fact, the sweetness to her voice almost felt just a little overbearing, some of her cooing was just a bit more on the nose than usual, and as he was bounced up and down, Sagīshi began to feel just a little uncomfortable. He began wiggling slightly and, as she finished unpacking his bag, he slipped off, landing on all fours.

"That was clumsy, wasn't it?" his caretaker asked, pouting at him. She booped his nose with her claw before giving a tap on his rear. The pup flinched at it and got up again, before pointing towards the TV. Holding his paw, the other carrying his chew toy, she took him onwards and set him down, pressing play as she went to pack away his things. A spare change of clothes which was good, not that they would be necessary. Some chewy snacks, the kind lots of predator kits and pups enjoyed. A furbrush. She smiled. Those always came in useful. A whiteboard, with a marker pen which she handed over to him before taking the bag and hanging it up. There was one last item in there, a bottle of flea-repellent. Ōokami had warned her that the special pre-school he went to had been having a lot of issues with fleas, and that if she saw him beginning to scratch then she should use it just in case. "School for the deaf," she pondered out loud. "Of course, you can hear me fine. It's your voice that's broken… -You can't say a word, can you you poor thing_?_"

Sagīshi looked back and nodded a little, before trying to hack out a few more words. Nothing came from it.

"What were you trying to say there?" she asked, as he got out his whiteboard and began drawing. She walked over. "Want to tell me something?"

There was a pause, and the pup turned his whiteboard around to reveal a picture of a very fat bear, complete with great big stink marks, and a helpful annotation that quite clearly described her as 'poopy'.

She frowned and immediately marched forwards. With a yelp, the pup was hoisted up and taken over to one of the sleeping cribs. It was pulled out, he was dumped down onto the stiff plastic sheet, and it was slid back into position. He was locked up, a white plastic mesh separating him from the frowning bear outside. "That was very rude," she said, shaking her head. "I think you need a bit of time out to think over what you did."

The maned wolf pup looked out, his paws on the crib's side and his eyes and mouth trembling, close to tears. On all fours, he wandered back into the pup bed and, grabbing a blanket with one paw and holding his chew toy salmon with the other, he wrapped himself up. His trembling lips broke, and he cried out, sobbing, his vocal chords tangling up to make a sound that wasn't even a child's cry, yet seemed even more miserable for the failed attempt. He carried on till he fell silent, lying there peacefully.

Out of sight, Mrs Kuma was smiling as she was joined by another figure, Mr Kuma. They talked together for a little, before she left. Mr Kuma remained though, and he walked up to Sagīshi and, after taking a nervous glance behind him, looked in, the pup looking back.

The big male bear smiled eagerly, before waving at him as he left. "See you soon, little one. You and I are gonna have a lot of fun."

.

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Sagīshi didn't like time out, that was for certain. He'd quietened down just a little and listened in to whatever was being said, ear pressed against the mesh and following the conversation studiously. Holding his salmon tight, nursing its mouth into his face, he heard somebody head back towards him, before seeing Mrs Kuma arrive. She looked in, seeing a pup with eyes that glistened with tears, and smiled. "Looking cute, aren't you? I think you've learnt your lesson now."

Whatever smile she had was cut off as a sharp knocking hit the door. She flinched, before she quickly opened up the crib and pulled her charge out, depositing him into one of the playpens. Television on, she left for the front door, Sagīshi standing up and looking through the mesh at her. Waiting. There was an odd look of both confusion and hope in his eyes.

"Hello there?"

"Hello," a male voice came in from outside. "I heard you did… -photography, in here."

"Uhhh," she said, suddenly confused, pausing for time. "I'm afraid we're a daycare…"

He chuckled. "I'm pretty sure you do both."

"Pardon!?"

"Don't worry, I'm one of you," he replied. "One of you."

"I don't…"

"-Oh, you do," he interrupted. His voice went down to a whisper and he spoke up to her. "I know what it's like to feel that pull, wherever you go and whatever you do. How it gnaws at you, and how you have to control _every_ look. Because every look they give to you might be that look that says, '_I know what you are'. 'You're a monster'. 'Death is too good for you.'_ And you want to scream at them, '_I didn't ask for this!_' And I know how just how liberating it is to give in, to scratch that damn itch! It's not like they'll remember it, after all."

"I should turn you away," the bear said bluntly, her anger rising. "That… That sounds sick, that sounds disgusting! How dare you!"

"-You should. Buuuuut….. you won't."

…

.

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"Apologies for the front," she said, as she stepped in to let the newcomer enter, little Sagīshi's eyes widening as he spotted a red fox standing in front of him. His fur was slick and shimmered slightly, as if oily, while he dressed in a black ostrich-leather jacket, a grubby white top and a pair of blue jeans. The pup and the fox were about the same size, something that quickly drew the newcomer's attention. He looked over, his head cocking slightly, and the pup reflexively flinched away.

"Hang on just a moment…" he muttered, beginning to walk forwards.

"Hold up!" the bear interrupted, stopping him. "We're very careful here," she warned, stretching up and wide. Given how she dwarfed the fox already, and how he didn't care, he remained unphased. "No, no… -I just want to… -look at him. As you do."

She paused and smiled. "Sagīshi?"

He remained wrapped up in on himself, even hiding his head with his tail.

"Sagīshi!" she scolded, bringing the furbrush about a just swinging it about a bit, threateningly.

The pup slowly unfurled himself and looked up at the new fox, holding his chew toy tight…

He looked back, looking at the pup's green eyes for a second or two before smiling just a bit. He gave a long wink, before turning back to the bear. "I'm just looking for a few mementos. The juicy kind."

"I…" she began, before pausing.

"-What about some fresh and juicy ones…"

She sighed, before shaking her head. "It's too risky," she said sternly.

His smug grin faded. "Oh, come on!"

"Listen," she stated. "If you want to keep some secrets, there are ways of keeping them. "Especially from certain mammals who want to expose our ones!"

"And I'm not trustworthy?" he asked, a hint of desperation in his voice. He raised both palms up to his side as he did so and gave a shrug, along with a happy-go-lucky smile.

"You know what it's like for mammals like us," she said, handing him over a card. "We can… -verify you, soon."

He looked down, tapping a foot on the floor. "How soon?"

"This weekend."

He glanced over at the pup, whose back was turned to him. "I need it _today_," he stressed. "Preferably _now_."

She sighed, before frowning. "It can wait," she stressed. "Tonight."

"-I can't do tonight."

"Then the weekend it is," she stated, before leaning down with a paw. She began to push him out, and he managed to glance at the pup one last time before his was out of the door.

The bolts and locks and chains went back on. Curtains were closed. A highchair came out, and the bear spared a look at the pup, who was just standing up and staring at her. He sat back down as her husband walked by her, carrying a can of white wallpaper paste. "For the love den," he chuckled, placing down on a stack of books by the highchair.

Meanwhile, Mrs Kuma picked Sagīshi up, putting him into the highchair. "You don't want to get all this over you?" she chuckled, patting the tin.

…

Like it would be with any child, it wasn't long before he was covered in it, the white sticky substance coating him. Mrs Kuma and Mr Kuma looked at each other and giggled, before holding his paw and taking him into the back.

Into a store room.

Into a place where they had a good variety of props and other items, along with some good quality camera stands and recording devices. They were careful mammals to be sure, they had to be. A child might be able to explain that he was abused, or injured, but not so much if he was put into an illusion, showing something he or she didn't understand.

They made him sit down, as they discussed what they might do. By all means, they could just do stuff that wouldn't injure him. But, then again, he was young. He was mute. The risks were lower, and they could do some more enticing things with him. They wouldn't be at risk if they dropped the illusion for him, would they?

As they talked, Sagīshi slowly backed into the corner, as if he could tell that something bad was up. As if he could tell something terrible was about to happen to him. He whined a little, tail between his legs as he shrunk down, ears folding against his head. Holding his little chew toy tight, he began nibbling it, then biting in, then nibbling it again. He kept on doing it, holding the thing tight as the bears turned to him. Looking down at him, their grins growing, he beginning to undress as she got out the furbrush, talking about how he was a really naughty pup for making such a mess. "Someone is going over my knee," she began. She hit the brush hard into her palm and began walking forwards, scoffing as the pup held his silly little toy as if it would save him. It wouldn't. He was their play thing now and nothing…

_**KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK**_

They both flinched, before a look of terror grew on their faces as a female voice hollered out. "ZPD! Open up!"

The female bear turned to her husband, who was already tidying things up. "Don't bother!" she hissed. "Get out, hide the room, get something on and make yourself look like you're giving him a clean!"

"What if he says anything!" he urged.

"He's mute! What's he going to say?"

They both froze as a new voice, that of a certain famous fox cop, spoke out. "How about Goo-goo Ga-ga, child rutters?"

Together they turned to face him, wide eyed, before both immediately received a tranquiliser dart between their eyes. They didn't seem to notice though, instead staring bemused at the mammal who'd just spoken, none other than their little maned wolf pup. Wearing a very fox-like grin, he pulled back his chew toy and blew the mouth as if it were a smoking gun. "In-built recorder, radio, tranq gun, and the lips are lined with tabasco to help me cry," Sagīshi said, in the fox cop's voice, pulling up a finger in a lecturing gesture as he did so. "When I was a kit, I didn't have anything this fun!" The bears continued gawking, albeit more due to the tranquilisers at that moment. They stumbled slightly, collapsing backwards, just as the sound of the front door being broken in rang out. There was stomping and shouts and, as they faded out of consciousness, they heard some megafauna mammals reading them their rights and placing them in cuffs. They were past the point where they could be afraid. That could come later.

The last thing Mrs Kuma remembered was a grey blur racing past her. Oddly enough, it seemed like a bunny in a police officer's uniform. She raced past them, and the other officers, and jumped straight into Sagīshi's waiting paws.

"I was worried there, Nick."

He'd felt the same way, and his instincts told him not to say it. But he'd been working on them and, after a steadying breath he spoke out. "I was a little too."

She let go and just looked at him. He'd been dyed here and there to make him look more like a three year old maned wolf pup instead of a grown fox, his fur had been specially sculpted too, and both he and the civilian helper they were using had covered themselves with each other's scent to help the illusion when dealing with these bears. But it was most certainly Nicholas Wilde standing there. She couldn't help but smile at him.

He couldn't help but smile back.

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_Looking over, Nick saw the grin on Dr Amy's muzzle. "I take it you enjoyed that?" he asked._

"_The ending gave a certain satisfaction," the therapist agreed, before turning back to her pad. "Though, that does beg a certain question. What's the matter with you now?"_

_There was a slight clearing of his throat, before the fox carried on his story. "It's something I realised on the way back to the precinct…"_

_._

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It wasn't long before the ZPD were moving in and out of the raided day care. Two hulking Rhino's entered and, together, they carried out the bear and her husband. Both had little pinpricks between their eyes, the tranquiliser darts that had caused them long since removed. They'd been replaced with pawcuffs around the perpetrator's wrists, even if they weren't going anywhere soon. Into the back of a police car they went, the officers looking on with disgust, before they were driven off for booking.

Officer Judy Hopps of the ZPD looked at the car as it vanished around a corner, before looking away. Down. She breathed in and out, before hopping up into the back of her own car. The red furred mammal who'd been dropped off there in the morning was just sitting there, moping. He was the perfect picture of a miserable little maned wolf pup. Staring at the floor, the most pitiable look imaginable on his face. "It's okay," she comforted.

He flinched away slightly, huffing.

"You're safe now."

"-They couldn't even get me a coffee?"

Her ears went up, and she looked at the pouting figure. "Hang on…" she began, stuttering slightly. She was cut off though by a finger on her mouth.

"_TWO_ sicko's in the pen, and they can't even get me a large Snarlbucks coffee with caramel and vanilla, with whipped cream and a cherry on top?"

A little smile grew across Judy's face as she looked at the mammal across from her. Sure, he looked like a maned wolf pup. His fur had been trimmed in a way that made his face look younger, with fur highlights helping. Clothing did a big part too. But, under all that, it was most definitely a fox looking back at her. Her favourite fox in the world. "Nick, if you want a good coffee, I'll get you a good coffee!"

He smiled. "You always know how to please me," he said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah," she replied. "Though you might want a shower first."

"Oh totally," Nick agreed, looking down at his clothing. White wallpaper past covered him, the bears using it as a rather convincing substitute for something else. Were it not such a disgusting thing, he might have even been impressed.

He shivered at the thought of the very notion, before a flash of guilt hit him for his previous admiration. He couldn't help but look at Judy, smiling warmly, ever that ray of sunshine. What on earth would she think if she knew that he'd thought that about the perps?

He glanced away, not wanting to think about that either. Fumbling with his paws, he knew that, were he to explain it, she'd probably get it. She probably wouldn't see anything wrong about it. He'd been working hard with his therapist on being able to open up about his real feelings and secrets, but here was a simple opinion and he…

"Nick…?"

His ears went down hard. Great, she'd picked up on his internal turmoil. This whole thing had been a blessing and a curse, getting her involved in his opening up.

"If you want to tell me something Nick, it's okay."

He bit his lip slightly and glanced down at her, before pushing through. "I was just thinking, about those bears… -they were very clever, impressive even -though-totally-gross-as-well!"

The bunny paused slightly, Nick gulping with worry. "I mean… I was a bit impressed by how they'd planned it too," she noted. "Our enemies keep on getting smarter, don't they?"

The fox felt a wave of relief wash over him, managing a smile. "Yeah. Whatever will they think of next?"

"Nothing we can't outsmart," Judy smirked, giving him a light pat on the arm. She broke it off though as her phone buzzed.

"That our civy?" Nick asked, referring to the maned wolf who helped the ZPD with the operation. From what he knew, he was an accountant who often found himself short of cash. He helped the ZPD in return for small reward payments.

"No," Judy replied. "Just a credit card advert. He might be stuck in a meeting or something."

"Probably," Nick replied… "Probably…" He looked away, closing his eyes. His mind slowly drifted back to a very unexpected part of the mission. The odd fox who'd come in to the nursery, trying to purchase pictures. Nick shivered from the recollection. It wasn't just the creep coming in, nor the chance that his undercover operation would be discovered, or had been discovered but kept a secret by the newcomer…

Something about how he'd acted, how he'd spoken, had rubbed him in all the wrong ways… Mentally, at least.

The fox cop couldn't help but listen in to what that paedofox had been saying. For some reason that he couldn't quite put his finger on, it creeped him out especially, unnerving him down to his bones. How he structured his words. How he was so happy-go-lucky, sarcastic and deflecting in his put downs, and convincing in his begging while…

And then it hit him.

The fox was so like himself back when he was a hustler. He had all his old traits and mannerisms, boiled down and concentrated. He was like Nick, before he'd chosen to turn over a new leaf, but purified and distilled and evil, all plain and evident to see. Turning away and rubbing his eyes, a shiver went down his spine and he felt a hollow pit form in his stomach. Was that what he'd been like? Well, not the child rutting part obviously, but was that what others saw him as?

Was that what he was like to others? To Judy?

It was all wrong.

A taint, a miasma on him.

It was something that he suddenly realised he needed to move far away from. Run from… Salting the earth behind him and making sure he'd completely embrace his new life, changing everything about him on his path forwards. The alternative was letting him share that taint. He looked at Judy sadly. She didn't deserve such a malaise, did she? Not in a friend… A partner… A…

_No_, he told himself. She did care for him. She…

_But…_

_Yes…_

_No…_

His mind flicked this way and that in mental turmoil, worse than ever, before finally closing his eyes and taking a deep and calming breath. It helped to steady himself down a bit.

"You good Nick?"

He looked over and saw her paw on his. That _may_ have had something to do with it.

"Bit mixed up, muddled up," he confessed. "But okay for now."

"_Okay for now…."_

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_Back in the present_

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Dr Amy Lupuleli looked over at her patient. His paws up, they covered his face, slowly sliding down it as he groaned. "I'm guessing you're not okay?"

"Astute observations like that are how I know you're such a good doc, doc."

She paused, a little grin growing on her muzzle. "Thanks for proving my point there, Mr Wilde," she said, taking the time to make a few more notes. "Though I wouldn't think into it all that much. You said you wanted to change everything about yourself, after seeing your own traits a very bad mammal. But him doing that doesn't make it bad in you. We all act and talk in different ways. You grew up communicating and acting that way, you lived it for years. There's nothing wrong with it, it's who you are."

She paused as she saw him bristle slightly.

This wouldn't be as easy as giving him a little bit of reassurance, that was for sure…

"Not the right thing to say?" she asked.

"No…" he began, before pausing. There was a sigh, and she watched as he brought his paws up and rubbed them down his face again. "Doc. I… That whole kind of thing was me as a hustler, you know? A nasty fox who didn't let people get close."

She nodded her head.

"And I want to move past that. Past all of that, who I was and how I acted. That other fox showed me what kind of mammal I used to look like, didn't he? Maybe not quite where I could have slipped down to, but not that far below. I don't want to be that kind of fox! I became a cop and aimed to start a new phase in life, leaving the old behind, and… -I've been thinking about it." There was a pause as he took in a deep breath and let it out, readying himself. "I feel that the things I want to leave behind includes how I behave to others. How I talk and treat others. A new me has to include how I speak and interact with everyone else, doesn't it? It must include how I do those deflective jokes? I need to drag my entire personality into a new lane, and I've been trying to start to do it today. The thing is, and I know it's early, but I just keep on slipping up."

…

Dr Lupuleli look on curiously, her tail swishing back and forth a few times. This was all new, very new. Very worrying as well. Writing down and underlining '_wants to give up sarcasm_', '_feels his old personality is tainted_' and _'phobic like reaction', _she opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off.

"-I mean right back then, when you said, '_I'm guessing you're not okay'_," he huffed, looking away. His ears were peeled back, and easily readable sign of shame. "I made a dumb joke when you got a bit too close to me, and it felt natural! There wasn't this sense that I was stepping over a boundary, or that there was a warning light I ignored…. I just went and did it without thinking, and I keep doing that and can't seem to stop."

The binturong paused, looking down at her pad again, a concerned frown on her muzzle. "Do you truly think that your joking and such is a bad thing?" she asked. "Something you seriously need to move past to be a better mammal?"

"It's all old Nick," the fox said, shrugging. "And I don't want to be old Nick, I want to be new Nick. I've become a cop, but I truly want to make up for my past. To be something good. To be something better."

"Redemption?"

He looked over at her and shot a finger out. "Yes. That… -though I'm already red enough, so it'd just be -emption." She rolled her eyes, managing a little chuckle. She paused though as she heard an irritated groan come from her patient. "-And… -There… -I… -Go…. -Again…" he grunted, gritting his teeth. "It... it just feels so good. So natural. Yet I can't get rid of it." He sighed, bringing his paws up to his eyes. "And who, especially her, would fall in love with someone who, deep down, was always like that." He scolded himself, in an accusing tone. "Speaking like that. Acting like that… Just a stones throw or slippery slope away from a mammal like that fox. -Have I really even moved on at all? Probably not. Not enough to deserve her."

He trailed off, and Dr Lupuleli nervously jotted down some more. "Mr Wilde," she asked. "I felt comfortable around the old you. Doesn't that reassurance make you feel comfortable with yourself?"

There was a brief snort. "If I did, I wouldn't be here, would I?"

She paused, speechless for a second. "Well, I guess that's a fair point," she said. Her patient nodded back before wincing down, presumably as he realised he'd done it again. She was about to carry on, only for the beeping of her clock to cut through the air. She silently cursed it, knowing that she had some work to do and engagements to meet that wouldn't let her carry on helping him. Still, she could try and prepare him for next time.

"I'll be wanting to revisit this new issue when we next week," she said, as her patient got up. "In the meantime, carry on with your old exercises, working on opening up a bit more." Moving to the door, she let her tail grab the handle and open it, while keeping an eye on Wilde. "In terms of this new thing, I'd like you to not go too hard on this whole new personality thing just yet."

"Uh… -doc?" he began. "I think I kind of have to."

"I don't. I'm pretty sure this is you being a bit too critical of yourself," she reassured, smiling as she stepped forwards. "You'd just been through a stressful situation and had a knock on your confidence. I'm pretty sure this is actually just a big negative thought that has latched on and is trying to pull you down. Soon enough, if you remember your exercises, it'll slip off your leg and stop dragging you into the deep."

Nick looked at her morosely. "Doc… I thought of that, but I think this is different. It feels different."

Dr Lupuleli nodded. "Well, my advice then is to keep an open mind. Don't go beating yourself up if you can't move on just yet. In fact, try and assess what other mammals think of your current personality. Finally, I think that the next session might be helped if officer Hopps is here to help out. Mind asking her?"

Nick nodded. "I will," he said, reaching out a paw to shake hers. "And thanks. See you next time."

"Next time," she agreed, letting him close the door behind him.

…

There was a sigh and a groan as she returned to her desk. So much progress with that fox, and now what felt like a big step back. However, she could muse about it later. She had a few records to keep in line. Some notes to do. There was still that lingering worry for her patient though, lurking in the back of her mind, and she hoped he'd realise he was being a bit too harsh on himself there. His attempts to not become a deadpan snarker were something new, something that did concern her, and something that he'd hopefully realise was a bit unneeded without too much pushing.

Her thoughts were cut off suddenly, and her face grimaced, as she saw an application to section someone. "Never a good sign," she said, as she opened it up. Lists of a few conditions, previous medical advice, as well as all sorts of crazy scrawling's were listed out. Reading a testimonial from a family member, the binturong closed her eyes and grimaced. That was going to be a nasty call for sure.

.

**AN: And so it begins. Feel free to check out my tumblr, Deviantart or the A03 version to see the awesome cover made by Jaff96!**


	2. Acting out 2

**Chapter 2:**

.

**AN: I'd like to thank my new proofreader, DancouMaryuu, for reading through this chapter. By all means check out his own fic, Zeeplabor. It's got a good few unique OC's, is lighthearted, great fun, has giant robots battling each other and includes great appearances by members of the regular Zootopia cast to boot. I'd also like to thank all my new readers who are tagging along.**

**In addition, I've got an announcement to make. For those who don't know, I've set up a separate one-shot collection for this fic, which will host all the non-canon one-shot ideas I come up with, etc. With so many different characters planned to arrive in this project, and with a tight and complex central plot, there's all sorts of interactions that could happen but won't fit in (and all sorts of silliness to boot too).**

**Now, bad news and good news for Aggretsuko fans. I'm taking my time to introduce the main players into this series. Acting out will be four chapters, about 25,000 words. Then there'll be a oneshot to introduce a pair of very special secondary characters, before we get to another four chapter/ 25,000 word fic to catch up with the Fantastic Mr Fox crew. The bad news is that (though there'll be cameos before) our favourite red panda arrives after all that. The good news is that the first one-shot is a Zootopia-Aggretsuko one.**

**Anyway, enough chat with me, back to the Zoot crew!**

.

.

Nick tried to keep in mind all the things Dr Lupuleli had said the next day. After the success of the undercover mission a lot of paperwork needed to be filed, and that had easily carried on over from yesterday.

"To quote the immortal lines of Bun-Joey," Nick noted, as he brought another stack over. "Oooh… -We're halfway there!"

He looked over, spotting a little smile from Judy, just as she joined in. "Aaaahhhh Ah! Livin' on a prayer!"

The red fox smiled, before sitting down, a new sheet coming out. "I now regret not having a fruitbowl here," he joked. Happy jokes like this were still fine.

"Huh?"

"I could have upped my pun game by nibbling on a pear."

He watched slyly as Judy giggled some more, before she returned to the long slog of forms that needed to be filled in. Witness reports, statuses, protocols… All that. If there was one thing the fox missed about his hustling business, it was the relative lack of form filling that was required. Bar the minimum level of legal due diligence, of course.

Pen on paper, he was about to write a description of the mysterious fox who'd stepped in during his undercover mission, given that his identity and location were completely unknown, when he remembered something. Something else from his hustling days, and one of the few things that he wished to keep hold of some more from back then. Out came his phone and, scrolling down, he pressed a number and called.

"WHO IZ IT!"

Nick flinched back, despite being prepared for that, before smoothly talking back. "Is that how you really greet Papa, Finny?"

"Nick…!? What you doing here callin' me up at this hour?"

The red fox paused, checking the time and turning back. "Sorry. Forgot you take your afternoon nap in…"

"Cut to the biz already!? Or Scat!"

There was a sigh, before Nick carried on. "The little operation was a success, again..." There was a pause, and an enthusiastic smile. "The kits of Zootopia are safer than ever!"

"… Well, congrats I guess. You caught some child rutters. Big whoop!"

"And the civilian who provided my cover earned himself a nice little bit of money," Nick carried on. "Though, if it were a civilian posing as the bait, they'd be open to much more… The offer is still open you know, if you want it."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before Finnick's voice burst out again. "Ah hell no! Just 'cause you're gettin' tired of being the baby this time! It was your idea, you do it!"

Nick's ears folded back a little. "I'm just looking out for a friend," he grunted. "It's honest work."

"I'm doing good," came the gruff reply. "So thanks but no thanks. I don't care how many bucks you think you can payz me with! I'm a grown mammal, and I ain't gonna make my living by letting you dress me up as a baby no-more!"

"Young child," Nick pointed out, closing his eyes as his paw went down over his heart. "I'm a fox of my word, and my word was always that your work would be pawpers free. It was in the hustling days, remember?"

There was a pause, then a hearty chuckle. "Nick. I knowz you too well! You'd say that, then find a way to hustle 'round it. So, I still say'z no! Got anything else to say?"

Nick sighed. "No."

"Then _ciao_, ex-partner!"

There was a click as the phone hung up, and Nick shook his head. "That's what you get for trying to help an old friend," he said. He couldn't help but remember how evident his former partner made his lack of faith in him clear. It was a cold blow of reality through his heart, and it made him remember his therapist's newest 'homework', trying to see what others thought of old Nick's personality and all. Well, there was Old Nick for you, and, on top of that, 'new' Nick as it was turning out! He'd been teasing Finnick at the start of that call, hadn't he? He'd just drifted naturally into it, without even realising.

He wanted to get away from that. He wanted to change, and when he was focussing he could stay those bad mannerisms before they came out. But doing that all the time? It was hard. So hard… Before he knew it, he'd be acting like Old Nick all over again. Suffice to say, his attempts at changing himself were not going well. "Am I really that untrustworthy?" he asked, unable to stop the faint image of the paedofox from lingering guiltily in his mind. He looked at his partner and hoped for a reassuring answer.

She just looked back, not answering.

His ears drooped a bit, and he spoke out, his voice still trying to be humorous but poisoned by a grave inflection. "Hmmm. That silence doesn't bode well."

"Just thinking," the bunny replied. "Maybe he'd trust you more if you'd have chosen a better name for your plan."

Nick retreated, acting in complete faux outrage. "I'll have you know that operation Pacifierclip was a brilliant name. Right up there with all the others on the shortlist." He brought out the fingers on his paw, before counting them off. "M, i-l, K ultra; Case Gooo; Operation Ba-ba's-losta; the Tot offensive…"

He had to break off as Judy broke down giggling. He just stood there and watched her, captivated. She was crazy, happy, motivated and, as far as he could tell, perfect. Yet, for him at least, she was always too far out of his grasp. He looked away sighing, thinking about telling her his true feelings for her. That he loved her. That the world seemed more glorious when he could hear her voice and see her bright eyes. That she meant so much to him, bringing comfort and joy to him just from her memory alone…

But his throat began to hitch slightly, and he felt that mental muzzle clamp tight on his real one.

Despite the work he'd been doing with his therapist, despite the attempts made and major progress won in opening up about himself, he was still unable to get it out. That chance of her reacting poorly, or angrily, at his confession still rang through the back of his mind, ruling it out. In any case, hadn't he just been all sarcastic, jokey and deflectiony _again_? After he'd just seen where that could boil down too? After seeing a pure concentrated example of the thing he'd told himself he needed to move away from. Had to, if he was going to clean his act up. He had, hadn't he? Broken all the promises and slipped back to the very thing he was trying to get away from without a single thought.

He sucked, didn't he?

Forget about Judy accepting him. There was no way he even deserved her.

…

"You okay, Nick?"

"Not really…"

"Thinking of doing another bit of homework?" she asked, and he looked over to see her smile slightly. He smiled a bit too. She wasn't talking about his newest task from Dr Lupuleli, instead an older thing they'd been going through for quite some time now. It was a little exercise he'd been given in order to help him get used to opening up to different mammals and breaking his fear of rejection. Listing and ranking a number of different facts about himself in order of 'off-putting-ness', he'd been working up from the humdrum level ones towards the unspeakable level tens, recently reaching level seven.

There were only two level tens. The first was his previous little probing experiments and due diligence with Judy, which had confirmed that she was actually species unspecific when it came to romantic feelings. For instance, joking about a dapper wolf they'd met, who she'd said was handsome. Nick had led her on, and she'd said that she could see herself going out on a date with him, confirming that she had no problem with canids… Naturally, the only other level ten was that Nick secretly loved her. It was the one this whole exercise was building up to, so that he could finally reveal it.

"How about we try an Eight," he said, his voice just a bit unsteady.

Judy nodded, even jumping up and down a little on her toes. It was cute. She was excited. "Hit me, Slick!"

"That mission was not my first time playing a character of a different age, you know…"

There was a pause as Judy's ears rose, a curious look on her muzzle. "Interesting. Tell me more."

"Well," he began, breathing in and out as he did so. He'd got a good idea of a little story from his past, one that likely wouldn't offend Judy too much, for a level eight that was. He was about to carry on when he felt a paw on his and froze, turning to face her.

She just smiled, giving him a knowing nod, and he carried on. "Given that I'm a bit of a local expert on Zootopia," he began, smiling proudly a bit. "I had the idea of setting myself up as a kind of tour guide for those coming into the city. Particularly those whose grasp of the language, shall we say, wasn't for the better."

"Doesn't seem so bad," Judy replied. Nick looked at her nervously, before carrying on.

"I… _may_ have done some 'self-marketing,' in the form of presenting myself as someone who, stereotypically, might appear to have an even greater level of experience of the city than I would."

She spoke softly. "You're deflecting again."

The fox sighed, bringing up a paw to scratch the back of his head. "I may have greyed my fur, dressed up as an old fox, and acted the part ."

Nick gulped, as a deadly serious expression grew across Judy's face. "You're going to drop that _and_ not give a demonstration."

…

Relaxing again given her warm reaction, Nick, bowing, stood up and craned over her, wobbling like an old man before speaking out, his voice suddenly old and croaky and wavering.

"WHEN I WAS JUST A KIT THIS HERE ALL USED TO BE LITTLE HOUSES! Houses you see, for the horses and the larger mammals, so I guess they were big houses. But little houses to the 'Orses. They were needed in the docks and the industries you see. Great big lobby the old 'Orses had, all the unions and so many politicians. They say Beaven created the welfare state on the common vote, but it was the 'Orses you see. The 'Orses and their unions, 'cause the Orses were all on the left side. Bunch of commie sympathisers, you ask me! Pah! Bolshy scum! But the 'orses and the zebra's, -'cause the Zebra's were in this too mind you! Both have solid hooves and no fingers. Try balling your fists and eating and living and working like that! I had to do that as a kit you know, solidarity law! Every month you'd 'ave your paws sealed in plaster, so you were in solidarity with the 'Orses. That and walk to school for two hours a day, up one hill, then up another going back. They even turned the new climate system in tundra town on, all over the city, when we did that. So it was always a blizzard, every day! Builds character you see. No complaints to the receptionist when you got in late, or your spankings would be doubled!"

"-Anyway, after steam shovels and excavators, docking was the last big manual thing the 'Orses could do. You could pay them less, as they were less dexterous you see, and then they would work your docks. Then they formed their unions and got earning more, can't blame them I suppose. I used to sing the red flag with them mind you. Workers of the world unite! Really put the common mammal first! The working mammal's life reached its peak in nineteen-forty-five and ever since the great Antlerlee was usurped in the nineteen-fifty by the elite, those monsters at the top have been warring on us, and I'm one of the good few commies left! The greedy fat cats, though very few are fat cats actually. Have to remember not to be speciesist anymore! Can't have that, can you? Oh, this infernal political correctness! Damn it, we need a mammal in charge who says it like they mean it!

"Hmmm… -Like that Dawn sheep, oh they slandered her name and framed her when she started doing the things those wishy-washy liberals hated. But I tell you what, her common sense was once common sense, and every joe in the pub would be happy to say it! 'Cause it's the truth you here. The same truth that let proud Zootopia win the war, all by herself, with four guns and an old biplane against the fascists! Grrr, I hate those monsters. My generation fought to get rid of them, and now they're back. Pah! We're wasted on you lot. '_Oooooh whoooo -do you think, you are kidding mister Knitler, when you think old Zootopia's done…! I am the fox who will stop your little game! I have a skulk who will make you think again!'_ Anyway, what with container ships, all the 'Orses lost their jobs in the seventies, got dispersed out to the meadowlands where the land was cheaper and what not, and the whole place was knocked down and remodelled. Mainly to help with the shortages of homes for even bigger mammals… -Anyway, that's that street, now over 'ere… -and GET OFF MY LAWN!"

.

Whatever Nick was about to say trailed off as Judy, who'd been giggling and then laughing throughout all of it, finally keeled over. "ENOUGH!" she begged, still laughing. "Enough… Are you trying to kill me Nick? I…" Whatever she was about to say was cut off by a loud hiccup, which only made her giggle a bit more.

"Oh sweet mother Marian," Nick commented, looking over. "Where do I press you to do a restart?"

Judy, wobbly on her feet, slowly got up, still hiccupping. "That's amazing," she giggled, shaking her head. "What's embarrassing about that? As long as you told the truth and made them laugh a bit as much as I di…_-HIC_!"

"Well…" Nick said, looking up and running his fingers along the desk. "One of those times, I may have experimented on whether the gender of my OAM made much of a difference…. -And now I really need to find your restart button, Fluff."

…

"Carrots?"

Finally stepping up again, Judy looked at him, still giggling slightly. "Nick… You were acting," she said, smiling. "And sweet cheese and crackers, why hasn't your acting made you famous? I mean -_hic_\- you aced a little cub yesterday. There's all the other -_hic_-… times you acted out. You're so good at it!"

The fox shrugged but couldn't help but smile. "I guess, I mean getting into a role is as easy as slipping on a glove. I just live it. As for getting famous…" He paused, relaxing. This was a completely unembarrassing story, but one he hadn't really had a chance to tell her yet. "I did actually look into that and did a few auditions for a laugh. Some agents even referred me on."

Judy looked on, fascinating. "How far did that go?"

Nick shrugged. "I _may_ have once successfully auditioned for a role in a pilot TV show, about this son of a former billionaire trying to keep his crazy family together after his Pop's illicit deals landed him in jail and his business is ruined… But even if the production company hadn't folded and the pilot had aired, it probably wouldn't have gone anywhere." He paused, smiling, before looking up and sticking a lecturing finger up too. A universal sign for, 'here's an interesting fact worth contemplating'. "-In fact, it's currently in an oddly ironic state given its proposed title."

Judy nodded, before sitting down at her desk and carry on her work. "That's a shame," she said, looking up fondly. "You're a good actor… I guess life forced you to be that to survive."

"I guess so," he added, returning to his.

"You acted in some way ever since you were eight, since the Junior Ranger Scouts…" she mused. "It would have been nice if that had worked out, and it gave you a good life. But then again, I guess you'd have never met me."

"No," Nick replied. He felt the same way but, as he turned back to his own work, his mind froze. The strange little squawk of the carrot pen rewinding played out in his mind, and Judy's words began to repeat like a broken record; '_But you acted ever since you were eight.'_

'_But you acted ever since you were eight.'_

'_But you acted ever since you were eight…'_

"Carrots…" he began to say, looking over. Suddenly a lot of things made sense. He was even feeling better about himself already. This explained everything! It wasn't him! He wasn't contaminated. His old Nick persona wasn't himself, it was just an act he got lost in and he needed to learn to let go of. He could work out how to release himself from it, rather than focus on the little things, and kill the problem at its core. He wasn't unsalvageable after all! His smile grew as he carried on speaking to the bunny. "You're just…."

He was cut off as her radio squawked. She quickly pulled it up to her ear, nodded a few times, before speaking. "It was my partner. Call it off… Yes, I'm sure."

Putting the radio down, her nose twitched a few times nervously. "That was from Trunkaby."

"Right…"

"Warning us about an 11-73 she heard somewhere inside…"

Nick gulped, immediately adopting his 'oh crap' voice. "That's our 'crazy old person' code… -right?"

The bunny nodded, as Nick's palm had a sudden meeting with his face.

.

.

.

By the time he met up with his therapist again, Judy in tow, Nick was feeling a lot better. He happily explained his previous concerns to his work partner, even feeling a bit of a boost as Dr Lupuleli noted that he was opening up a lot by saying these things. He just replied that now he understood them, it was easy. Now that he understood that he'd acted this way as a defence since he was a kit and just got lost in it, and that it wasn't who he really was, he felt so much better. He wasn't tainted, he didn't have that blackness at heart. He just needed to learn how to give up the act, and then just be…

He finished off smiling, only for that smile to fade as he saw the concerned look on a certain bunny's face.

"Carrots?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

There was a cold silence as she just sat there, a slightly confused and almost pitying look on her face.

"Carrots..?"

She stepped forwards, and to Nick's surprise she went straight for one of his paws, holding it tenderly. Her thumb ran along his knuckles, stroking them, before she looked up into his eyes. "I didn't know he knocked you that badly," she said. "It explains why you've been acting strange this week." There was a soft pause, before she carried on. "It's okay though, Nick. I see nothing of him in you."

Nick's ears rose ever so slightly. "Really? Promise?"

She gave him a big grin. "Bunny Scout's honour, I promise."

Nick felt a surge of relief wash through him. "Good… Heh… -Important to know you still see me as top fox," he said.

"Don't flatter yourself," she joked back, pausing though as she heard the hollow laugh Nick gave in return. He was looking away slightly.

"I… Yeah, still a lot of work to do with this whole new me thing," he noted seriously.

Judy blinked a few times, and looked at him, shaking her head slightly. "Nick," she began, "You don't need to change the real you."

"But it isn't the real me I'm talking about," the fox replied. "It's this act I got lost in. It's about dumping that old hustler and going back to being that little ranger scout. You know, the one who peeks through sometimes that you like. The one that stood up for you. The one that didn't leave you at the museum…" He trailed off, looking at her as he took a steadying breath. "I've got to try," he said, a little grin growing on his muzzle. "And I know someone here who made a very nice speech about trying."

Judy glanced up at Dr Lupuleli, trying to gauge anything but seeing nothing of use, before returning to her fox. "If this is something you seriously feel you have to do," she said, "I'll be there to help."

"Thank you," he said. "And I believe it really is," he carried on, turning to the binturong beside them. "Don't you agree?"

"I'm here to help you on your own path," she said. "I don't give you an endpoint, or give you a map, I…"

"It's going to be a no, doc, isn't it?" Nick deadpanned.

Amy nodded. "It is, though I don't feel like I can convince you of that here and now," she said. There was a pause as she thought, before she carried on speaking. "I can try and give you some tests that you could do. Exposing yourself, and either dispelling or confirming this thesis of yours. Does that sound reasonable?"

"I mean I guess," Nick replied, before he shook his head. "But I feel so certain about this, so it'll probably be a waste of time. In any case, I'm trying to improve myself, aren't I? Bring the old me back. What's wrong with that?"

"You're trying to change yourself," the therapist pointed out. "Might as well confirm that a change is needed and will actually be good."

Nick looked at her, his tail giving a few casual swishes, before he gave a defeated shrug and spoke. "I don't feel like I can convince you of this here and now," he said, smirking slightly. "But I'll do these things, whatever they are, to keep you happy."

"Thank you," she said, an ever so slight look of relief washing over her face. "As for what you'll be doing… -You brought up the idea of acting a lot. Have any of you done any amateur acting?"

Nick chuckled, waving a dismissive pawn "Please, _professional _abandoned TV pilot veteran in the room."

"University theatre club musical actress in the room," Judy chirped up too, her paw springing up.

Nick's eyes widened, and he leant forwards, curious. "I didn't know you were in a musical."

She chuckled back, shaking her head. "Ever since I was a little kit, I loved acting. It was my backup career for the police force for most of my life! In fact, I first became interested in both things for the same reason."

"Now this I've got to hear," Nick said. "I mean, I always thought that you became a cop after seeing some terrible injustice that needed fixing! Or that someone was in peril and you saved them…" He closed his eyes, drumming his fingers along his muzzle as he thought. "Or maybe some embarrassing failure at basic Bunny 101 or something; a flop so bad it made you want to try your hardest at something completely different, or it was such a worry for you that you ran away, only to be returned by an inspiring officer of the law. Screwing up at a harvest, or being worse than useless with young kits, either way getting very messy and shell shocked and…"

"Nick, not everyone has a tragic backstory," Judy pointed out, matter-of-factly. Pointing a finger at herself, she boasted out proudly. "In my case, I was inspired by officers Humps and Spitz, from TV's fuzzy justice!"

Nick paused for a moment.

"Can we swap backstories?" he asked at last. "I didn't know cute and happy and being too young to get the 'that makes my hump rock hard' joke was an option."

"...Aaaaannnnnd... that's my childhood ruined," Judy said, ever chippy. "Thanks Nick!"

"My pleasure," he said, taking a bow.

Judy looked on for a few seconds, before pushing forwards. "Anyway, I did drama all through my school years, and at university. I was actually good friends with the head of Bunnyburrow States's drama society and played a starring role in our _Pirates of Pawzance_ performance."

Nick froze, his mouth hanging open. "Sweet mother Marian," he gasped.

"What?"

"Judy-Hopps-doing-modern-major-general! Judy-Hopps-doing-modern-major-general! Judy-Hopps-Doing-Modern-Major-General!"

She burst out laughing. "Almost, but not quite." She stood up, clearing her throat, before pausing to think and remember. Finally, dropping her voice an octave or two for good measure, she began singing:

"When a felon's not engaged in his employment! _his employment._

Or maturing his felonious little plans_, little plans._

His capacity for innocent enjoyment_, -cent employment. _

_Is just as great as any honest Mam's, honest Mam's"_

_..._

"My life is now complete," Nick stated solemly. "There is nothing left for me, for I hath seen Judy Hopps singing the third most known song from the world's favourite satiric pirate opera… -and is it me, or do you smell popcorn?"

"That's your therapist," Judy deadpanned, "binturongs smell like that.'

"No…" Nick said, trailing off as he took a few additional sniffs. "I think I smell actual popcorn."

_Crunch..._

Both Nick and Judy turned to face Dr Lupleli. There was a brief pause, before she pulled up an opened packet of popcorn and swallowed. "Want any?"

They both shrugged and took a pawfull. "That was all interesting," she stated as they ate. "Officer Hopps, did you ever find any actors who got lost in their roles?"

She thought for a moment or two. "Well, there was the leader of the theatre club who… -let's just say he got very involved with his roles."

"Is he nearby? Still acting?"

Judy's eyes widened. "He actually works at a theatre in the city!" She said, turning to Nick. "We could visit him."

"Sure," Nick said with a shrug. "It could be fun."

Dr Lupleli nodded, before grabbing a bit of paper. She wrote something down on it, before looking up to Nick. "Could you let Judy and I talk for a second. In private?"

Nick nodded and left the room. They weren't in there for long, and he was very curious, something turned right to up eleven when Judy came out. "I am bound by silence," she announced, handing him a letter. He glanced at it, spotting '_open in case of existential crisis' _written on the front.

"Very reassuring," he noted, slipping the letter into a pocket and then scolding himself a little for his old-Nick-ness. "Now what?"

"Now," Judy said, beginning to hop up and down with excitement. "I'm going to take you to meet Jack Savage!"


	3. Acting out 3

**AN: Okay, ****important** **talk to start with. Let's get this over with. ****Reptiles, birds and primates…**

**Non-sentient in Zootopia. Not sentient (and in one case regularly hunted) in Fantastic Mr Fox. But sentient in Aggretsuko and so many more, with amphibians joining in on occasion to make things more annoying.**

**Now, I could revert to the highest standards, and have non-sentient birds, reptiles and apes… But that means dropping frickin' Washimi and Gori. Worse, in series 2, two incredibly important characters are planned to come in who are not mammals. **

**So, just have all those guys as sentient too, right?**

**Well, in 'Different' I utterly wrote myself into a corner there, given the importance of hunting and raising birds to the fox family.**

**Now, ****originally** **I planned to get around it all with what I called the ****Schrödinger solution. In essence, the sentience **_**varied**_ **depending on which IP you were viewing from.** **In short, Retsuko could introduce Judy to a talking Washimi in one of her fics, and in the next Nick would take her to a zoo and they'd see a falconer working with a secretary bird. I also called this the 'Allo-Allo' method, based around a popular british sitcom about french resistance fighters. In it, the characters (speaking in english) were canonically speaking in french. However this presented a problem in regards to the two RAF airmen who they had to perpetually try and smuggle home, and who canonically couldn't speak a word of french. The solution was the main cast doing their usual french-english in a slight french accent, the airmen speaking english-english in very large ham upper class toff accents, and thus neither side understanding each other without a translator. The hilarity was doubled with the character Officer Crabtree, a british secret agent posing as a gendarme, who could speak 'french' but very poorly (his famous catchphrase being 'Good Moaning'). **

**Anyway, this solution sounded great on paper, and I was going to have a ton of fun with it… But then the doubts began coming in. It was complex, hard to explain, etc… In the end, I decided to adopt a different solution, which I call the **'**Amended Fox Point'** **model.**

**Now, Fox Point was a fantastic Zootopia-Sly crossover, and in its lore there were sentient mammals as well as non-sentient ones (with Dawn at one pointing ending up in a pile of non-sentient cows dung). It was a bit odd at first, but I felt that once used to it you could roll with it, and there being sentients and non-sentients is a good solution to the issue with the Fantastic Mr Fox lore.**

**So, in this AU series, the background is this:**

**1: In the past, an event caused some members of all species (Mammal, reptile, bird, amphibian) to gain sentience, though the rest remained as they were, in effect creating two different species out of each one that was pre-existing.**

**2: With mammals, the sentient ones soon wiped out the non-sentient ones, them being competition. Very few non-sentient mammals survive to this day, with mammals being the majority of sentient lifeforms on the planet.**

**3: Reptiles were more a mixed bag. Sentient snakes, having no means to use their intelligence, died out while non-sentients survived. There are also some species, where the original was already excellently adapted, where both varieties survived. You can get sentient and non-sentient crocodiles for instance. However, due to their cold blood, sentient reptiles were at a disadvantage to mammals. In hotter climates sentient ones are not too uncommon but globally I'd say mammals make up 85% of sentients, reptiles 10%.**

**4: With birds (who evolved grasping feathers as digits), sentience rarely gave many benefits. Sentient birds still exist, making up just shy of 5% of sentients, but most are non-sentient. Birds are the most common form of non-fish wildlife in this story by far, while chickens and ratites (ostriches, emus, etc.) are commonly farmed (sentient examples of each do exist, and are okay with it). Arguably, the most successful bird cultures would be those established on remote islands and such. Native new-zealand birds (Kiwis, Keas, Moas etc.) might take up a role in their country similar to the Maori, while I can imagine the pacific island peoples being birds (There could potentially be an antarctic republic led be penguins too, idk.)**

**5: The tiny sliver left could be the few amphibians that made it, such as the axolotl that works with Retsuko.**

**6: Zootopia, being a fairly recent (last few centuries) city, was settled by pioneers, in particular mammal pioneers. Many places have variances in the numbers that settle there, and while it got an average pred-prey ratio, very few primates were involved or interested in moving to that region. For a long time it was too north for reptiles to be interested too (though I can see more moving to Sahara square).**

**7: People say mammals a lot as 99-98% of the time they're right (and also lazy). Ditto for referring to non-sentient birds as birds (Sentient ones often have the prefix added to distinguish them). Non-mammal species in the developed world and most of the developing do have equal rights and such. **

**Anyway, all caught up? Good! Right, onwards.**

**.**

**Sidenote: I'm publishing today as I've got lots of stuff to do, and I want to clear my schedule for tomorrow given that a minecraft server I play on updated recently. It got me thinking about update dates. Tuesdays work for me, but would you guys prefer different dates? If so, just say.**

**Anyway, onwards! (For real this time)**

**.**

**.**

**Chapter 3:**

.

Walking out of the subway station, Judy followed the directions on her phone's Zoogle Maps app, leading Nick towards the main Sahara square theatre district. They strolled along the wide sweeping plaza that surrounded the palm hotel, water fountains dancing in the pool at its base, all while passing line after line of big-name venues. Taking a sidestreet, they turned into the older parts of the district, the streets narrower and taller, with smaller side theatres sprouting out here and there. The fox, following on, smiled as they passed them, flicking the aviators off his head and slipping them into his trouser pocket. "The art house district..." he began, Judy getting a pre-emptive grin on her muzzle. "This can…"

There was a pause, Nick mentally stopping himself, a little smile and nod of success flashing on his muzzle as he did so. "This might be interesting, let's see what he's like."

"Yes," she replied, her ears drooping back a bit. Turning a corner, she carried on with renewed vigour, the fox behind her curious as they seemed to leave the trendy part of the district. He even had to get his specs out again, slipping them on, as they emerged onto a bright four-lane street that marked the edge of the traditional arts area. On a roll, he held back the urge to make a witty remark, even if ones about both the area they were in and the sense of direction in bunnies sprung into and out of his head.

He grumbled.

This sucked.

Still, this was something that he had to do he reminded himself. Keep cutting off the little things until he learned how to give up this act entirely, and the world would see a good fox return.

A brand new Nick! (Enjoy that new Nick smell while it lasts!)

"Here we are Slick!"

Looking up, Nick took in the sight before him with intrigue. They were on a generic major road, with generic palm trees lining it and generic modern stucco and glass buildings running along it. Yet, right between an unassuming orange and glass store and a banal looking glass office building, was a tall, thin and ornate theatre. The entire architecture of the place seemed off, looking like something more in place in Tundratown or the Vatican than tucked away in Sahara Square. Built out of some bright white stone of some kind, it had two round columns rising up either side of the entrance canopy, going all the way to the roof. In the centre of the facade were some gold decorations, flanked by a tall and narrow window either side, and topped by what almost seemed like a bird bath. It was at the top of the building, however, that the theatre really became out of place. The entire facade was crowned with a whole set of ornate baroque detailings, complete with statues of lyres and all sorts. All in all, it was a very pretty building, but as a born-and-bred Zootopian, Nick couldn't help but feel that it was completely out of place in this part of town.

"Anything going on up in there, Nick?"

"Just wondering if I should have been an architecture critic," he mused, before pausing… "Nah, that one was fine."

He and Judy both smiled as they walked in. Climbing up the steps, under the awnings (the billboard on it stating that it was closed for practice), the bunny paused as she saw the sorry state that some of the stone and plasterwork was in.

"Just a sign of character," Nick said genuinely with a smile. Judy looked back, only for her ears to rise and turn, hearing someone coming out. There was a rattle as the doors opened and a tall, thin sheep stepped out. He wore a pair of orange swimming trunks, a green undershirt, and a gaudy yellow suit with just the one button done up, alongside a pink carnation on one of the lapels.

Judy couldn't help but cringe. The sheep's ensemble made the worst tie/pawaian shirt combo that Nick could pull off look…

Semi-mediocre.

Whoever he was, he looked down at the scrappy bits of plaster and the odd crack that was present and shook his head. "This whole place is going to fall down and kill us all. Buster doesn't seem to get that."

"O-kay," Judy said, pausing as she looked up to him a paw out. "Nice to meet you, Mr..."

"Eddie," he said, smiling.

"Nick," the fox added. "You own this place?"

"No, my friend Buster does," he replied, before leaving and walking off. Nick watched him walk down the steps, before meeting two new mammals in black suits: a tall and regal, if not vain looking, tiger, and a dark orange lion with a black main, a slight scar on one of his eyes. The sheep looked back up at the bunny and fox and just waved at them. "Go in if you want. I know you two from TV, you'll probably find some horrible conspiracy in there or something. Just need to talk to these two about business."

"Thanks," she said, a paw half rising in the air before she dropped it down. Looking back, she saw Nick open the door for her and walked in, the fox following. She waited there, ears rising, only for an odd look to grow on her face as nothing came. Judy scowled, deciding then and there that if Nick wasn't going to make any corny jokes or witty banter, then she'd do it herself. "Getting betrayed by evil sheep may be our kind of thing," she said, before pointing behind her. "But I don't think we need to worry about him pulling the wool over our eyes."

A little grin flickered on Nick's muzzle and he looked down. "Hustler Nick would certainly agree that he's a bit woolly headed."

She smiled and relaxed somewhat as her partner cracked the ice as usual. She'd been beginning to miss that. "Jack's the head of writing and production here," she said as she looked around. "Let's try and find our way to the…" She trailed off, about to say stage, but then seeing something. Nick chuckled as he saw it too, was quiet for a few seconds as he thought, before giving a shrug.

"If there's a critical mass of weirdness, fluff, I think that's dangerously close… -and that was all fine as it was an honest observation, just so you know."

She nodded in agreement. Next to the waiting area, all lined out, was a collection of weird stuff. Jars and bottles almost but not quite entirely recognisable things, strange clocks and the odd totem pole, just to start with. Nick and Judy walked in front of one of them, a large, gilded sarcophagus, and just took it in. Its head area was shaped like a sinister-looking owl's head with rubies for eyes, while painted wings went down either side like arms, strips reaching inwards like feathers. It was all done in a dark, cold, lead-like metal, albeit with a coppery sheen.

"Okay…" Judy said, giving the sarcophagus a thumbs up and walking to the next exhibit. Nick followed, only for his head to dive down, a paw going up to cover it in shame.

"I don't know what this is, but it makes me feel bad."

"I agree with you both times," she replied, turning away from the two yellow plastic pill creatures, one with two eyes in goggles, one with just the one without, and both wearing blue dungarees with a stylized G on it.

"Do you think this pair is why the theatre is failing?" Nick asked. "As I think it's why the theatre is failing."

"To be fair," Judy pointed out. "Just because it's in a bad shape, doesn't mean it's…"

"-And this is the statue here that we'll be selling, to pay our bills and stop our theatre going bust," the sheep from earlier said, walking in with the tiger and lion. The former looked on and shook his head, tutting with contempt before having a last pull on the cigarette in his mouth, Nick holding out his paw to stay a righteously disapproving Judy as he did so. He then pointed at the yellow… _things_ and spoke in a proud voice.

"You know, I would never lower myself to buy anything as insultingly bad as that."

The lion next to him groaned mirthfully, before speaking.

"Well, it's a good thing that were after _that," _he said forcefully, pointing at the sarcophagus. His voice was also proud, but also condescending, and quite loud too.

"Ohhhhh…. Relax," the tiger said, smiling. "I know that." He looked down towards the sheep and smiled. "Where do we exchange currency, dear fellow?"

"Just hold on for the boss," he said, before the door behind him opened, a koala bear stepping out. "_That's_ the boss."

"It is!" the Koala said cheerfully, walking forwards with his arm outstretched. "Buster Moon, owner of Moon's Theatre, welcome, welcome…"

"Pleasure meeting you," the tiger said, shaking the small marsupial's paw. The lion behind him just nodded.

"Indeed, indeed," the koala said, smiling happily. "Here to place your bid in the auction, I see." He paused, turning to look at the bunny and fox duo. "What about you two? Pleasure to meet you. Buster Moon."

"Judy Hopps."

"Nick Wilde."

"Great, great," he replied, before pausing. "Oh, before I forget, may I introduce my secretary, Miss Crawley." He gestured behind him, only to pause as he saw no one there. "She's probably lost her glass eye again. They never really mastered them for iguanas, hers keeps popping out."

Judy blinked a few times. It was often that you got to deal with sentient reptiles. Buster just smiled though and carried on, chipper as ever. "She'll be managing the bank transfers and such," he said, before turning to Eddie. "See! I told you this little auction of the old knick-knacks would save the theatre. We've already got a bidding war!"

"Actually," Judy replied, "I'm here to see my old friend. Jack Savage."

"Ah, Jack!" Moon said, before trailing off, a concerned look on his face. "He's backstage. Can't miss him. Old friend, you say?"

"Yup."

"Good," he noted. "I can't help but feel he's really down for some reason. And, every time I try and cheer him up, he just seems to get worse. Still, a little help from friends and all."

Judy's ears drooped down from the news and she nodded. "I'll go in. It doesn't sound like him, unless he's playing a tragic role, but yeah. Time with old friends may be just what the doctor ordered."

"That's the spirit," he said before waving them off. Judy nodded and began leaving, though Nick paused.

"Could I put a bid of one cent on the Spongebob-vitamin pill hybrids?" he asked.

"Sure! Why not!" Buster chriped, quickly bringing out a clipboard which Nick signed. The fox jogged back to an aghast Judy, his paw held up to stop her. They turned and walked away, the red furred mammal shrugging. "I think this whole place is a bit weird."

"Yeah," she said, her voice hardening. "Almost as weird as your bidding on those abomination things."

He rolled his eyes. "Relax, I intend to do my part in keeping this place open… by wiping those things from the face of the earth."

Judy smiled. "Good to see the old Nick back," she said, as they walked towards the backstage.

"New Nick, or rather original Nick," he corrected. "Brutal honesty is still okay, thank merciful god!"

Back at the gathering, the four mammals watched on as the bunny and fox turned a corner, before the sound of a new door opening rang out. They all turned and saw an elderly iguana in a sunflower dress walk out, waving at them. "Sorry I'm late!"

.

* * *

.

The whole theatre was strangely empty, an uneasy feeling rubbing out of the walls and onto the two mammals. Moving through the unfilled regiments of seats, must and dust wafting up in the air, Judy couldn't help but expect a snarky comment from her partner.

Even glancing behind her to confirm he was still there, the lack of one still set her on edge. Up to the front of the stage, the pair climbed on, taking in the giant moveable set piece that lay in the centre. "Any… observations?" Judy asked, smiling hopefully as she looked over to a curious Nick.

"I see bits of wagon trains and a saloon there," he said, pointing the foldable parts out. "And a fake bit of mesa too." He looked down and smiled. "I'm guessing your friend is doing a western."

She looked down, her nose twitching a few times from irritation. The irony that it was due to Nick _not_ being irritating most certainly wasn't lost on her. "I was thinking comic observations."

Nick looked down at her, his eyes half lidding in annoyance. He shook his head though, before shrugging and pointing at a pair of gallows, folded away until their time came. "I guess some poor schmuck will be _hanging_ around there."

"Thank you," she said, relaxing a bit. She was still slightly annoyed by his lack of annoyance, but she flashed him a smile to tell him that she'd liked that. It grew as he smiled a bit too.

"And there's that bunny who's always asked me to take things a little more seriously."

"The important word is, 'a little," Judy clarified. She was about to carry on, only to pause as she heard something above her. Both she and Nick turned, looking up to the top of the set piece, as a figure emerged and promptly leapt down in front of them. He stood above the pair, dressed in period piece wilderness gear, a bandana and headscarf completely obscuring his face. There was a powerful sense of gravitas in his body. Judy moved forwards to speak, only to be silenced by an outstretched gloved palm, ordering her to stay and be silent. He or she stood over them, seeming taller and larger than both despite being in the middle of their size range.

The figure put its gloved paws together, purposefully removing one and then the other. Then it undid the lower face mask, revealing a chiselled, inexpressive face. Its fur was grey-furred with hints of stripes peeking in. Both paws came up, and the newcomer cast off their hat and the remaining part of the mask attached to it. They swept off the top of his head and back, and he revealed himself in full form.

It was a jackrabbit, but what type Nick couldn't make out, mainly because he was so unique. Black straps pulled back on his grey face, some going up his ears. His eyes were brown, with a terrible sense of weight behind them. A spark of intellect? A hint of cunning?

"Jack!" Judy said happily.

He appraised both of them, before glancing at Nick. "I don't know you..." he said, before moving over to the doe. There was a gravitas in his voice, though oddly, as he spoke, Nick was sure he could hear a hint of a Hispatic accent. "But you, I never forget a face. Judy Hopps."

Nick snorted, chuckling a bit, while Jack smiled, coming forward to give the bunny a hug, which she promptly returned. They broke apart and he spoke again, Nick confirming to himself that there was indeed a slight Mexicat inflection that crept into his speech. "I've always wanted to do that," he said, his voice suddenly a lazy and relaxed drawl. "Nice to meet you Judy. I kind of know what you've been up to," he said, smiling as he did so before looking over at Nick. "Ditto."

"As you do."

"As I do," he said with a little flourish, relaxing back down and leaning back onto his set. "But what _do _you do? Here. Now… With your friend." He pointed over to Nick, or at least in the fox's general direction.

"He's my partner on the force, Nick Wilde…"

"Heard how you took down Bellwether," he said, giving a big thumbs up with one paw.

"Well yeah," Nick said, smiling a little. "I…"

"Hang on," he interrupted, his eyes suddenly going wide and his ears shooting up. No longer slouching, he stood up, marching towards Nick with a purpose. "You have to show me! Give me a demonstration!" he said, excitedly. He paused, turning to Judy, one of his feet suddenly drumming on the floor. "You too Judy!" He looked at both of them, like a kit in a candy store. "The greatest, most important, bit of acting Zootopia has ever seen! Both the heroes here…" He smiled, looking smug for himself. "-And playing an evil sheep has to be fun too… Hmmm… I could go cackling evil? Menacing? Misguided? I mean, what was she like? Did she have a tragic backstory? A tragic backstory for her might be interesting…"

He trailed off in thought, before shaking his head to clear it. Focussing back on Judy, he marched forwards, pulling her into another hug, his paw patting her hard on the back. He couldn't help but chuckle. "This! Is! Brilliant!" Letting her go, he smiled, giving a quick wink. "Look where you went and landed yourself!" There was a smirk, and another wink. "Here's looking at you, Kit."

…

"My partner would usually joke about this in some way at this point," Judy said, glancing over at Nick, who just shrugged innocently. "He's been going through some stuff recently. But he's acted beforet."

"Old TV pilot," Nick noted. He looked forwards at Jack solemnly before carrying on. "I did enjoy doing it, and it might have gone somewhere… I was an off-the-street cast though, so when it fell through so did any fledgling acting career."

The hare looked at him and sighed. "Shame…" he mused, before shifting with a slight realisation. "-or actually not! Anyway, you here to answer the call? Now that evil sheep removal is out of the way? Or tips on undercover work? That would be a good reason to come here… Or…"

"-I think I've found my call in the force," Nick interrupted, smiling. "Thank you. And I'm already more than a little versed in undercover work."

"You sure? Hey diddle-diddle, actors…"

"Lay off him Jack," Judy said, smiling. "Just here to catch up with some old friends." She looked at him and smirked. "Maybe subject him to enough corny acting to jumpstart his usual teasing."

Jack bristled up a bit, looking over at Judy, a stern look on his face. "I'm not corny, Judy," he noted firmly, before he raised a lecturing finger. "Except when I want to be!"

Judy rolled her eyes, and Nick couldn't help but spot the slight flicker of a smile on the hare's muzzle. Giggling slightly, the doe looked over at the fox, and then back at Jack. "Anyway, I'll need to talk to you in private, but Nick's therapist encouraged this meet up. Just here to have a bit of fun!"

Jack looked at both of them and then smiled. "Fun's good," he said, relaxing.

There was an awkward pause between them, Nick and Judy looking at each other slightly.

It ended though as Jack blinked a few times, snapping back to reality. "Oh, right… You probably want to go to my office then."

"Office sounds good," Judy replied, tagging along.

Nick followed after, the fox deep in thought. "Say Jack, you know the Pirates of Pawzance?"

One of the hare's eyebrows lifted ever so slightly.

.

.

.

**(A few seconds later)**

.

"I am the very model of an acting hare from Zootopia,

I've performed satirical, classical and opera,

I know the plays of Sheepshear, and I quote the pentameters iambical!

From comedy of errors to Henry the eight that's all…

-I'm very well acquainted too with matters police procedural,

I hear the news, both humdrum and dramatical,

About the city saving duo with a big old bone to chew…"

…

Jack paused, paw to his chin, thinking. "Hmmm... Bone to chew… Bone to chew?"

…

"GOT IT!"

"-Against many naughty crimmies who have yet to go and pay their dues!"

Before his mouth had even finished closing, Nick jumped right in. "_Against many naughty crimmies who have yet to go and pay their dues! -Against many naughty crimmies who have yet to go and pay their dues! -Against many naughty crimmies who have yet to go and pay their dues!"_

.

"I'm very good at ad-lib and improvisional silliness,

I know the tickliest puns of every single mammalius,

In short, in humour satirical, classical and opera,

I am the very model of an acting hare from Zootopia!"

"_In short, in humour satirical, classical and opera, he is the very model of an acting hare from Zootopia!"_

.

"I know our artistic history, from cavemam to the multiplex,

I write tough drama, and like a bit of offscreen implied sex,

I quote romantic passion, to a cardboard cut-out T-rex,

In comics I can adapt even all the lowest bets…

-I can transform hard satires to melodramatic travesties,

And know the booing chorus is just some nonsense mutterings,

Then I'll train a choir into silent dancers who are all out tip top …"

…

"Hmmm… tip top… tip top… I.. -AHHH! GOT IT!

-And tap dance act out all that infernal nonsense ZTOP!"

"_-And tap dance act out all that infernal nonsense ZTOP! -And tap dance act out all that infernal nonsense ZTOP! -And tap dance act out all that infernal nonsense ZTOP!"_

.

"I can't be asked to write a washing bill out with my paw,

But I'll make that joke somehow, I'm really not a bore.

In short, in humour satirical, classical and opera,

I am the very model of an acting hare from Zootopia!"

"_In short, in humour satirical, classical and opera, he is the very model of an acting hare from Zootopia!"_

…

"In fact!" he continued, the song taking a much slower pace. "-When I know what is meant… by 'enter on…' and '-parry him…'

When I can tell at site an untalented trifle…. from a '_charlatin_'…

When such affairs as rewrites… and edits… I'm more caring at…

And when I know what is meant by: 'why not soften that?'

When I know why my idiot boss likes everything so sunny!

When I don't get annoyed at mammals saying I'm just a bunny!

In short, when I have the respect to doff my hat at thee…."

….

"Nope, that's a sticky one… BACK TO THE ORIGINAL!"

"-You'll say a better acting hare has never _sat_ a gee!"

"_-You'll say a better acting hare has never sat a gee! -You'll say a better acting hare has never sat a gee! -You'll say a better acting hare has never sat a gee!"_

"For my acting career, though stunning and worthy of flattery,

Has been humbled so far by meddlers oh so irritably,

But still in humour satirical, classical and opera,

I am the very model of an acting hare from Zootopia!"

"_But in humour satirical, classical and opera, he is the very model of an acting hare from Zootopia!" _Nick carried on singing out the tune while Jack, marching a silly sped up march around both him and Judy, gave a quick bow before zipping off to his office, closing the door behind him in a triumphant finale.

The fox let out a long and excited clap, Judy joining in. She looked up to him and smiled. "Happy now?"

He looked down at her. "Am I happy? Yes, yes I am." Judy smiled at the return of one of his biggest verbal mannerisms, only to pause as he cleared his throat. "That's ones still okay in new Nick."

Looking up at him, she shook her head slightly before pausing, glancing back at the door.

…

"Can we come in Jack?"

"Oh, right. Of course."

The bunny-fox duo outside looked at each other and nodded, before opening the door. Before they even stepped in though, their eyes widened with shock. "I thought it was just a student thing," Judy noted quietly. "But I think it's got worse."

Jack looked back at them and shrugged. "Problem?"

Nick and Judy just looked around at his office. It was an absolute tip. Not the kerfuffly chaos of the Hopps household in Bunnyburrow, or the odd bits lying on the odd desk of Nick's place, but a full on trash heap. Papers were scattered everywhere, even across the floor, along with old takeout dishes, bits of mouldy food still in a good few. The hare must have hopped and leaped over his trash strewn floor to get to his seat, which he was now leaning back into.

"Problem?"

Nick, voice going nasal as he covered his nose with his hands, replied. "No, not at all."

Jack looked at Nick, suddenly curious. "Oooh, what's this then?"

"It's him protecting his sensitive fox nose, Jack," she said. The hare paused, blinking a few times as he pondered to himself, before groaning.

"What!?" he said, a hint of defensiveness seeping into his voice. "It's fine," he dismissed, his fur ruffling up a bit. "Anyway, I'm too busy to spend time and effort cleaning something that'll just get dirty again."

"You can hire people to do that for you, you know?" Judy offered.

"Cleaners? Well, I keep meaning to, but…" he explained away, pausing to think. "Is there anything else you'd like to talk about? Given that you're not here to get back into acting -which is still an option for you by the way!"

"We're good," Nick said, smiling even as he covered his nose. A smile that faded as he sniffed a few times and walked over to a plastic cup half filled with a long flat cola, a small mat of mould floating on top. He backed away, just as Judy started talking.

"It's true," she said, before she took on a slightly sassy look. "Besides, it wouldn't be comfortable for us without the payments you get from the Z-D-E-S-P…"

"I can get on just fine without those," Jack said, brushing her off as he waved his paw out a bit. His nose was twitching slightly, something Nick saw as he glanced over, the fox's ears rising up. After all, it wasn't often that you encountered a mammal who dealt with the Zootopia Department of Endangered Species Protection.

"I could have figured that you were a rarer type of hare," Nick said, "but I didn't think you were rare enough to get E-S-P payments. What species are you exactly?"

Jack gave a little shrug, looking away as he said it. "Tehuantehec Jackrabbit, though one with an unusual colour pattern," he explained. "I get even more stripes than usual, and I'm grey. -And I'm legally a Tehuantehec Jackrabbit! -Not 300 club, but not far off, so I do get a benefit payment and some dumb magazine or something every month from the gov. Don't really pay it much attention though."

"Interesting," Nick said with a shrug. Judy looked up at him, before looking forwards towards Jack.

"Anyway, we're here to ask you for your help," she said, pausing as she saw his ears droop down and his body slump slightly. "Help that involves acting." The ears perked up again, and he sat up to look at them.

"Sounds fun," he said, leaning forwards. "Is this an undercover mission or something?"

Nick looked from Jack and Judy and Judy and Jack, before shaking his head, an action unnoticed by Judy even as she glanced up at him. "Mind stepping out for a bit, Nick?"

He nodded, before leaving the room and closing the door, immediately unplugging his nose and taking a few deep breaths of air the second it was closed. Wafting the air in front of him, he glanced back and shook his head. "Five minutes, then it's gas mask on and rescue time."

.

* * *

.

They were out in less than that, Judy hopping off over to the costume department and Jack walking over to Nick. "She says you think that you're lost in an act, and that you want to learn to get out of it. Right?"

"Yeah," Nick said. "It's a bit complicated, but…"

"-So we'll leave it at that, and just get you fixed. Okay! Step one: get into a role. Any role. Maybe a pirate role, I don't know. You'd look good in that. Or a sales mammal role! Even better…"

Nick paused, thinking, before he smiled. "How about crazy old guy giving a tour?"

Jack smiled. "Show me what you got."

.

.

Judy heard it from miles away but, after gathering all her stuff, she couldn't help but sit back and watch as the chaos unfolded in front of her.

"-Anyway, that's that street, now over 'ere… -and GET OFF MY LAWN!"

"Tis your lawn?" Jack asked, in an exaggerated east asian accent. "So sowwy! May I take picture of lawn?"

"No you may not!" Nick scoffed, still doing his crazy old mammal voice, albeit raising a paw into the air as if he were waving a cane. "I know them camera's and I know the flashes have all those chemicals in! You'll give my lawn chemical burns! Chemical burns! I go on my paws and knees to manicure this lawn, you hear? Every day, six in the morning till eleven at night, with a toothbrush and some tweezers, going over each little itty bitty blade of grass and getting the bugs off! You know how nice those bugs are? Those are my bugs, you hear? And I'm not gonna let you kill my bugs with your darn new-fangled chemical flash, all going poof into the air, as if you own the place and have the right to go 'poof' in the air! You need to earn that right, you hear!"

"You're just a freeloader. Just a stinking foreign freeloader, who comes over here, happy to go poof on our lawns! Oh, you don't go poof on your lawns, do you? No no no… You have to keep your lawns nice and clean, but you come over here and look at us like trash, and you're happy to go prancing around like show ponies, with your flash camera going poof poof poof poof! You pack your bags full of them, don't you? Poofers! So you can try and poof every lawn in Zootopia. Well, I say no! I'm taking a stand. There'll be no poofs on my lawn."

"I sowwy," Jack said, shaking his head. "I don't know why you think I like going kissy kissy with other boys…"

"WHAT! You're a homophone too! Pah! This is the twenty first century milladdy, we'll have none of that stuff with you. You know what I think? I think you homophones should be beaten up and booted out! With the thugs, the rapists, the thieves, the Baazi's, the speciesists, the gays, the lesbians, the queers, the methodists…"

"Do you know way to train station?"

Nick paused, sitting down to think, only for Judy to step up and talk to Jack. "Where should I put these clothes?" she asked, looking down to some costumes she was carrying.

"Quiet young lady," Nick scoffed, looking down at her. "Go back to the scullery, and take them with you! They need starching, washing, destarching, mangling, mincing, boiling…"

"Just down there will be fine," Jack interrupted, suddenly speaking normally again.

Judy nodded, walking over, while the hare looked over at Nick. The fox looked back, before his eyes went wide with realisation. "Oh my god!"

"What is it Nick?" Judy asked, looking up.

"Just then!" he said, suddenly awash with a giddy mix of excitement and hope. "Just then, exactly what I've been talking about! Playing that crazy old mammal routine with Jack, and you come along, and I keep playing it." He looked between the two lagomorphs. "I just got lost in the act! Just like I've been talking about!"

Jack smiled. "Now we have to help you learn to turn it _off_," he said, snapping his fingers for emphasis.

Nick smiled happily, his tail giving an excited wag. "And then, I use that knowledge to turn off the act I've been stuck playing for all these years."

Jack and Judy looked at each other and nodded, before getting to work. Judy went off to get dressed, while Jack changed in front of Nick. As he did so, he spoke. "By the way, when I was saying those things to 'insult' your character, what were you thinking? Did you feel the insult? Did they hurt, or outrage?"

Nick shook his head. "I felt… or I thought, 'boy, what can I do with this!' It was all a fun sort of game reallyt. Playing a character, it feels good."

Jack nodded before returning to his new costume. He put on a pair of brown tweed trousers, a big brown tweed suit jacket over a white shirt and bowtie, before a tweed trilby finished it off. He stepped around with an arrogant swagger, checking his pocket watch once before slipping it back into his pocket. "Name's Douglas Allen," he said with a similar accent to chief Bogo's, his voice quick, clipped and frank. He sounded serious, and with scant concern for others. "Now I'm here because the coppers tore into my old mob a few months back. No gang, no place to be in, no wages, and a mammal has to pay the rent. Now, I could just let myself get called up into the army, we have the war going on right now, but I'm not the kind of guy who wants to fight for some ponces in high back chairs, smoking their cigars all day, you hear?" He paused, opening his jacket and looking up. "I fight for me on my terms only. Now, I got a good consignment of rationed goods off the back of a lorry not too long ago. No questions answered, so none asked, you understand? Things like sugar mainly. Now, the common mammal doesn't have much these days, so I'm here to help them out, in exchange for a nice return of course. Your job? I need a scrappy red tail to scan around, give me a tap on the shoulders if a copper turns up. Think you can do that?"

"So, I'm your business partner."

Jack's eyes narrowed, and he puffed himself up slightly. "Lookout. Don't get above your station, and don't mess up. Got it!?"

"I do. I won't," Nick replied, segueing into a sort of character himself.

"Good," he said, a critical eye on the fox. "For your sake," he said, the fingers on one paw flexing as he did so before swiping across his chin. "I do hope you're right."

Nick nodded, smiling as he did so. This whole acting thing was fun after all. Jack sat down on the edge of his set, his feet swinging below him, while Nick stood around. Looking over, he saw Judy approaching in an old light green housewives' dress, a pale blue knitted fleece worn above it, with a dark green bowler like hat on her head. She looked over at Jack, glancing sideways as she did so, before stepping up to him. "Excuse me," she said, her voice hushed. She glanced around a few times more, before stepping up next to him. "I'm… I don't mean to bother you sir, but… Well, my son, bless his heart, he's got shore leave, and it'll be the first time I've seen him in years. It's his birthday too, and I just want to make this special for him… We have some blueberry bushes at home, but for his favourite pie recipe they need sweetening of course…. Shame that sugar is rationed, and my hubby always uses it up in his tea. I don't suppose you'd be able to help?"

Jack looked around awkwardly before speaking in a loud, exceptionally obvious, voice. "I… have… no…. Sugar…" he said, giving a glaringly obvious wink as he did so.

Judy backed off a bit and glanced around, tensing up before hurriedly walking away. "Sorry to bother you," she rushed out, much to Jack's alarm.

"Hey! HEY! Birdie! I don't think you understand! I! _DON'T!_ Have! Sugar!"

Judy just scanned around some more, her ears up on high alert. "I think someone's coming," she said, "I've got to go!" She lifted up the hem of her dress before speeding off, leaving Nick and Jack alone.

The fox couldn't help but shake his head. "Okay, out of character for a second, what was that?"

Jack shrugged. "Well, honestly, I'm not sure how to really act that archetype one-hundred percent…"

"Couldn't you look it up?" Nick asked.

Jack paused, his mouth twitching to the side. "It'd probably take too long," he dismissed. "Not really a good use of my time or anything."

"I thought you liked acting?"

"I _live_ for acting," he said proudly. "But not for history or research. I had to do enough of that in school."

"Right," the fox continued. "I just thought you'd want to try and get it right, rather than just mumbling through…"

"Mr Wilde, mumbling through usually has a very good success rate and excellent results," he pointed out firmly, a grin growing on his face. "After all! I'm usually _very_ good."

Nick paused to think, before shaking his head. "Okay, yes, fair enough. But…"

"Also," Jack pointed out, "I thought that this character, being an ex-goon… ex muscle, so he wouldn't be that skilled with words. He's the kind of mammal who, up until a few years ago, got his way very nicely by beating mammals up. Others would then handle the distribution and retail side of everything, but they're gone now. It's just him! The whole idea of his story is him having to cope with the whole spiv experience, succeeding and failing wherever possible."

"Right," Nick said, suddenly nodding with interest. "That would be an interesting story for him. Is he figuring it out himself, or is he getting a mentor figure."

"Trial and error," Jack replied, before shaking his head. "But it doesn't help that he has to deal with bad customers like her."

Nick scoffed slightly.

Jack smiled. "I beg your pardon?" he asked quietly, a grin growing on his muzzle.

Nick shook his head before walking forwards, a finger raised. "You don't get bad customers, Jack. Doesn't work like that."

"I think it does," he replied. "How obvious do you have to be? I was flagging her as hard as I could. I mean seriously, how else would you do it."

Nick felt what was almost a pang of sympathy for Jack, like one you might get for a duckling (sentient or non-sentient) that kept on swimming into a wall again and again, always hitting its head. "Maybe try being a bit less obvious?"

Jack froze for a second. "Eh?"

"Let me put it this way," Nick said, "that kind of mammal doesn't want you to come off as a creep or anything. But you were."

"How else could I let her know, advertise myself, when my character is breaking the law."

"You're letting her know that you broke the law," Nick explained. "Not a good idea."

"But the whole point of me is that I'm breaking the law!"

"So," Nick replied, sitting down and wrapping his paw around the hare. He was so going to mentor this guy. "That's why you give them a bit of plausible deniability."

"Go on…"

"Yes, she probably knows you broke the law. You stole some rationed sugar, and are now hawking it off on the black market. But, and this is the key here, you act kind and with a smile like you're her friend. Maybe she knows you're up to something, but guess what? You seem like a swell guy, so it's probably not that bad! So, she doesn't feel guilty using you."

"So, she thinks it's a victimless crime."

"Yeah," Nick said, smiling proudly. "And the great thing about those crimes is that you don't hurt anyone! No-one to feel guilty about harming. Given that you're helping the common mammal here, you then become a good guy! A little local hero. The underdog. You're sticking in to the Mam!" He paused for a second, before shrugging. "Of course, there's always bigots and moral busybodies who'll look down at you, but they'd never come to you anyway. This way, though, you hook up mammals like your mark there. Hook, line, and sinker."

"Whereas of course, I robbed and killed an innocent driver with a wife and three kits at home," Jack replied, flexing one of his muscles. "Maybe even adding some torture in there, hmmm…"

"So maybe not a victimless crime," Nick noted. "Even if you did something better, like managing to mess with some booking papers, or just sneaking out the sugar, there'd still be a victim."

Jack shrugged. "Guess you can't make it a victimless crime. Would it be even worth it?"

"I'd say," Nick replied. "It's nice to make every mammal happy."

Jack smiled and gave a shrug. "Next thing, you'll be saying that it's worth finding some loopholes to make it not a crime period. Can't imagine a nutjob like that."

Nick's fur bristled and he looked at Jack, feeling a bit insulted. "There's standards out there," he said. "Don't be envious at the mammal sticking higher up the ladder."

"It just seems a bit pointless. Too much work."

"That's because you're lazy," Nick snarked. "All it takes is a little bit of research, a bit of legal loophole finding, some box ticking, and _voila_! Victimless crime becomes victimless not-crime!"

"So a regular business you can be proud of?"

"Yeah," Nick said, smiling as he did so. "And have fun at when you show all those busybodies that you're perfectly legal!"

"So you had fun and are proud of all your hustles?"

"Yeah," Nick said, smiling. "Of course I am, I'm an…." He froze suddenly, his eyes going wide with horror, before he gulped. Hard.

.

…

"Nick?" Jack asked.

…

"I…" the fox began saying, before he shook his head to snap himself out of it. "Ooops! There I go! Getting lost in a role there," he joked, giving a loud and exaggerated laugh, full of audible 'ha's.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked.

"Certain, yeah!" he defended urgently, though he couldn't help but conceal the slight panic rising in his voice. Just this morning, he was thinking that he was getting the hang of stopping his old ways of speaking. Of acting. Of being that hustler, of the same breed that could lead to that fox he'd seen on the undercover mission. But now… But then… -No, it was all just him getting lost in the act he and Jack were playing, wasn't it?

"I do remember you personally saying 'Let's go out of character for a moment'. Don't you?"

Nick gulped, hard. He did remember that. He'd shifted out but, on seeing Jack's terrible understanding of hustling, he'd stepped back in. Pulled him under his wing. Been happy, proud even, to raise him up. Mentor him. Rub off on him, even though that part of him shouldn't exist. It was all and act he was lost in, wasn't it?

"When I referred to Judy as a bad customer, how did you feel?"

"I… -Well, a bit irritated that you'd think that, as it goes against how a good hustler should operate…"

Jack smiled. "You felt personally insulted."

"As part of the act!" Nick blurted out. "As part of the act that I, since I was forced into it as a kit, have been lost in."

Jack looked at him, thinking. "When you were playing the old guy and I insulted you, you felt a bit of joy at being able to play off that. Didn't you?"

"Maybe, I…"

"And now, I insult you like this, and you not only feel super insulted, you go about fixing me and extolling the virtues of your own brand of that lifestyle!"

"Yeah…!" Nick choked out, "but… but…"

He froze as he felt a paw on one of his own and, looking down, he saw Judy standing there. "What we're trying to say, Nick, is that you weren't lost in an act. You were a hustler. That was a part of your life. It's part of you, and it's…"

She broke off as Nick pulled away sharply, a fearful look on his face. He shook his head hard. "No," he said defiantly.

"It's okay Nick. There's nothing wrong with it!" Judy urged, the fox managing to look up at her, though he still seemed jittery.

"Can I just think this through!" he spurted out. "Alone. For a sec?"

"If you want," Judy said, "but…"

He pulled away and jumped off the stage, quickly darting past Buster Moon. None of them had noticed the happy koala coming down that way. "Good news!" he announced. Judy felt caught, her attention between him and a rapidly retreating Nick. She looked over to Jack, spotting a very tired and irritated look on his muzzle as he groaned like a teenager. "With the very generous auction bid offered for old Sylvester…"

"Sylvester?" Judy asked.

"The obviously fake sarcophagus," Jack grunted.

"We now have enough funds to secure our theatre's life for another year!"

While still nervous about Nick, Judy couldn't help but smile and look down at him. "That's nice…"

"Wait for it," Jack warned quietly, rolling his eyes as he did so.

"So, I was thinking we could use this time to create a new happy play!" He stepped up onto the stage, wandering by a bank of controls for both the giant centre set and the rest of the stage. "I was thinking that more people would enjoy _Les Miserables_ if it was, well… A nice bit less sad. After all, everyone loves coming to the theatre for some fun, don't they? So, Jack, after this play, which I think we can both agree is just a little bit too gritty and dark, you can go and write that."

…

The Jackrabbit was silent, looking over at Judy and yawning.

"Isn't it a wonderful idea, Jack?"

"I'd have thought you'd be irritated by this," she whispered, going up to him.

"Very," he replied, his tired eyes narrowing. "But after the first few times, I really can't be bothered to be irritated anymore."

"So, your laziness actually does trump your pride," she joked, bringing a little laugh from the jackrabbit. A laugh that was spotted by Buster Moon.

"That sounds like a yes!" he cheered, jumping up and down. Jack's palms quickly covered his face, letting out a loud slap as they did so, and so he missed what happened next. Moon, jumping up and down, slipped slightly and stumbled backwards, right into a control panel. He then fell to the side, switching and pressing everything in his path before falling to the floor. Parts of the stage, the centre set, curtains… Everything began moving and shifting. Alarmed, Jack and Judy bolted upright, their lagomorph instincts sending them scanning around left and right, but not down.

Meaning they were taken by surprise as a trapdoor opened up beneath them, the pair falling into an understage. Landing on a mattress, they were only slightly confused, and recovered quickly enough to hear a long series of mechanical bangs, screams, strains, and groans rumbling above them. Jack cringed down hard as a loud series of crashes came from above, flinching down with each one. The room shook as everything above them seemed to tumble down, ending with the pair being launched up suddenly as something landed on the mattress behind them.

They fell back into something hard and white, jammed into each other.

Jack stood up, frowning. "Well... I know where the tavern's kitchen sink ended up," he said, gesturing to the porcelain basin they were in.

The thing shifted and moved, the whole floor rising up as they were lifted back out onto the main stage. Jack took one look at the ruins of his play's set, before both of his ears came down to cover his eyes.

Judy gave a quiet and nervous laugh.

Buster Moon stumbled over, looking up at it. "Ummm… Good news… We could scrap this now, or we could, maybe, possibly… Spend the money from the auction on repairs."

"We _will_ spend the money on repairs," Jack said firmly, his voice thick with irritation. This time there was absolutely no indication that his assertiveness was a joke.

"Oh, uhh…." All three of them then turned towards the seats, as a new voice spoke out. Nick. "I'll um…." he said, looking at the chaotic mess in front of them. He paused, pointing out of the door. "I'll go get a mechanic or someone. That sound good?"

"That sounds quite _excellent_, thank you," Jack said, his voice going hard and authoritative again.

Nick nodded, snapping a picture, before making his way out. "I'll be back soon."

.

.

Out in the street, in the open air, Nick took a deep breath. He felt a bit guilty, to be honest. He could have just had his personality crisis by himself, on his own, and not bring anyone else into it. But no. While waiting outside, he'd had to have wish for an act of god or something to distract him and the almighty, in his infinite wisdom, had provided an elephant-scaled _deus ex machina_ \- or was it a _diabolous ex machina?_.

Honestly, he still wasn't sure what had occurred, he'd just heard a lot of grinding and bangs. Not so much like a car getting crushed, but maybe like a car crusher getting crushed?

He shook his head, he didn't know.

What he did know though was that his mechanic offer was a spur of the moment thing that he really should have thought through, and that he was now beginning to regret. He was stuck with two problems, A: his personality crisis was segueing back into his mind, and B: he needed to find a mechanic who could handle that mess and _wasn't_ the obvious choice that he already knew.

He closed his eyes, trying to think, only to come up blank every time.

"Rut me," he grunted, as he brought his phone out to book a Zuber. Obvious choice it was, and he was pretty sure that Karma was laughing at him. Not only was he going to have to go _there_, he was in the middle of exactly the kind of thing that would make the already slim chances of getting that mammal to help him vastly vastly worse, and all the while rubbing salt in the wounds of what he was feeling and dealing with. He'd snapped a picture to prove there was a problem, but he'd have to meet this mammal in person.

"Right then," he said. "Dentist etiquette. Mind our own business, don't make small talk, avoid eye contact, try not to bite bits off in frustration… Let's get this over with, Skye."

.

**.**

.

**AN: So there's Jack for you, and soon Skye. It'd certainly be interested to hear opinions on this version of Stripes, and on the rest of the chapter for that matter. Feel free to like, subscribe and review, and see you guys next time.**


	4. Acting out 4

**AN: For those unaware, the ending chapters of these fics will often have 'after credit' scenes. So, make sure to always scroll down all the way, else you miss something. ****Also, thanks once again to my proofer, Dancou-Maryuu.**

**.**

**Chapter 4**

.

As his Zuber passed through the underdeveloped woods and fields that marked the boundary between Savanna Central and the Rainforest District, Nick's mind was awash with strife. He couldn't help but stare morosely at his open paws.

Hustlers paws…

On a hustler fox.

Who was proud of it!

It wasn't an act he was lost in, it wasn't an old part of him, it was something he felt and lived and…

He groaned, his fingers flexing slightly. He felt dreadful, disgusting, like a guilty criminal. After all, he hadn't changed, had he?

But had he?

He was a cop! He was a good mammal, who'd turned his life around, and…

-And yet, it didn't explain that little slip up he'd done just there. Staring out the window, as they passed through the small strip of old countryside that had been saved from the growing city districts, his mind wandered. It had been so easy, hadn't it? To slip back… Was that what it was like for those bears, or that fox? Just a casual slip into evil, that you couldn't even feel?

It made him sick.

He and they were even more similar than he'd thought.

Was there even a point to all this?

.

.

.

"We're here."

"-Right," Nick muttered, barely roused from his emotional stupor but still remembering where he was and who he was seeing. "That…" Putting on a smile, he thanked the driver, paying him and seeing him off. Turning to face his destination, he let out a long whistle.

It had been years since he'd last seen this place and, while it had changed, it had changed in exactly the way he'd expect it to. Walking over to the mechanics shop, he passed a whole assortment of old vehicles and machines on display. Out front, there was an ancient steamroller that Nick swore hadn't been there last time. Looking to the side of the building, where several agricultural sheds had been laid out, there were easily more vehicles than he remembered from last time. A worrying number of them were ex-military. Trucks, jeeps and motorcycles, he could deal with, but a four-barreled anti-air gun? One that looked to be in working condition?

He shook his head, dismissing his concerns about her, the ones he had about himself immediately flooding back into the gap. The fox's face furrowed. "Hello darkness my old friend," he grunted as he walked through the door, almost satisfied going back to the old Nick snark now that he knew that trying to better himself was futile. Naturally he then felt a flash of guilt, for doubling down on the old Nick snark which he was supposed to be getting rid of.

He closed his eyes, breathed in and out, and calmed himself down. "Smile, Wilde, you want her to help, don't you?" He managed to slip his hustlers mask back on quite comfortably as he pressed the service bell, no-one being at the desk. Looking around, this part was just as he remembered. A cheap but functional reception, pretty utilitarian with the exception of a few dreamcatcher decorations that hung up here and there. There were some magazines on the desk too, mainly mechanic ones like _Socket Wrench Monthly _and _AutoTrend_, but also tech ones like _LINKED..._...

Looking closer at the last one, Nick saw a picture of a relatively famous onager (or wild ass) tech entrepreneur with platinum fur and a long mane, who specialised in artificial intelligence. Nick had heard of him a few before, most recently thanks to Judy. Through her social media feed, the rabbit had found out that he'd been seen dating a local red panda, which had earned the poor girl a bit of online abuse, in doing so setting off the justice Bun. That had all died down now, regardless, and Nick refocussed on the task at paw.

He could hear cheery music coming out of the building's workshop and, looking through an open door, he spotted a car above an inspection pit, being worked on from below.

It was her.

Nick could hear her singing along, badly but happily, and completely missing the bell. He pressed it again and, as the music stopped and the mammal began getting ready to come over, he moved over to a waiting chair and sat down.

Alone with his thoughts…

Honestly, rather a bad move.

"Hi!" came a chirp from the other side, as the door opened. "How may I…"

Nick got a look at the mammal now standing in front of him. She was a swift fox, sandy yellow fur covering her body, and she was dressed in a pair of stained denim dungarees, a tool box in one paw.

Nick managed a brief smile and a wave of a paw at the vixen. "Hi Skye."

She blinked a few times, while her ears folded back against the back of her head, a definite 'not this crap again' look growing on her face. She took in a calming breath, before giving a little smile back as she walked to her desk. "Long time no see," she said, politely enough but with no real warmth or joy.

If Nick were in the mood, and had he not needed her help, he would have teased her. About her missing him, or getting damned by faint praise. The last one almost came out of his muzzle, old Nick ready to jump back out and joke sarcastically about his feelings, but he kept it in. Partly due to still holding onto his self-improvement drive, however dumb and futile that was, but mainly because Jack still needed his stage fixed. In the end, he just said: "I could say the same thing."

She nodded. "So then. You're a cop now. Saved the predators…" There was a shrug, then a faint smile. "Guess I'll say thank you."

"No worries."

There was a brief pause, her eyes narrowing. Skye pulled up a finger, drawing it up with her paw so it pointed at the ceiling, before letting it swoop back down, aiming it right at Nick. "Not that I can say the same thing about you." She was frank. No-nonsense. That part hadn't changed. "You're all angsted up so much, I can feel it spreading to me," she commented, before crossing her arms and rolling her eyes hard, finishing it off with a large smirk. "I'm feeling irritated and a little fed up already."

Nick sighed, pinching the bridge of his muzzle. "Listen, I'm not in a good mood right now so…"

"-AH!" she exclaimed, before her eyes narrowed even more at him. "Knew it." He winced as he realised he'd messed up. Badly. Skye, meanwhile, had her toolbox out and was sifting through it. "Now, I tend to specialise in fixing problems," she said. "_Real_ problems that really exist and thus can be fixed. So, I'm afraid you're out of luck, Nicky…"

"Listen, I…"

"I mean I could try," she offered, a fun smile flashing across her muzzle. "But five to ten years for assault…" She pulled out a heavy wrench, wiggling it in front of Nick before placing back with a shrug. "Ehh….. Even if it does work, you're not really worth it." She picked up her toolbox again, giving Nick a quick wave, before heading back into her workshop. "Nice meeting up again!"

"Skye!" he urged, racing after her. She paused at the door, turning on the spot and looking at him sceptically. "Listen, I do have a real life problem you can fix. It's a big job, but you should be able to do it," he explained. "I may also be going through some of the... _-stuff…_ -that you don't like… but this has nothing to do with that!"

She paused, thinking. "Okay then, what is it? -The mechanic stuff, not your mumbo jumbo stuff."

"Here, let me show you," Nick replied, bringing out his phone and showing her the picture he'd taken of the ruined set. Her eyes went wide as they landed on it, before she took the phone from him and studied it. Her tail swished a few times, and her paw tapped along the side of her muzzle, happy humming noises coming out of her.

"Ooooh!" She cooed, intrigued. "Let me guess, giant massive failure?"

"Yup."

"Everything colliding together?"

"Looks like it."

"Nice. They didn't even have an interlocking system to prevent that?"

"I'm guessing the answer is no. If they had something to prevent it, I'm guessing it would have prevented it."

She looked over it all one last time, before handing the phone back. "Useful again," she said, patting Nick's shoulder. "Twice in one lifetime, you're gonna have to keep this up!"

"Thank you," he snarked, doing his best to ignore her as she grabbed her toolbox and raced back into her workshop, grabbing more tools. Rubbing his forehead, annoyed that the taunting thoughts were coming back in, he closed his eyes to try and focus. Drive them out.

"Got a ride?"

"No, I came in a Zuber…"

"Right, I'll get my bike out. You can ride on the back." She popped around the corner again, a helmet on her head and a second in her other paw. She tossed it at him before waving him on. "Where we going?"

"Moon's Theatre," he said, as she nodded.

They stepped out, and she locked the door. "Sure we can't take a car?" he asked, as they walked around to a parking lot at the back. A high powered old-school motorbike was waiting there, Skye already stowing away her toolbox and wheeling it out. She looked up at Nick and patted on the back seat. "-You have plenty of those, don't you?

"I do," she said, smiling back at him. "But I'm just in a biking mood today."

Nick reluctantly put on his helmet and mounted the bike. No point arguing with her.

"Anyway, you're in one of your 'everything is crap' moods today," she said, almost whimsically. A slightly devious look grew on her face. "This way, you can't bother me with it!"

"It's not one of those," Nick clarified. "It's a 'I was a bad mammal in the past and I can't get away from it' mood."

Almost immediately Skye snapped around to face him. "What do you mean, can't get away from it?" she interrogated.

Nick grumbled a bit. "I still joke around and blow people off like before I became a cop and, however much I try, I can't stop it. Worse, if push comes to shove I'm still a bit _proud_ of some of my hustles. I feel like I'm stuck as nothing more than a dirty con-fox."

Skye's head cocked slightly, an eyebrow rising, before her body suddenly relaxed. Shaking her head, she reached out and put her paw on his shoulder. "And here I was thinking you were going to say you were corrupt or something. You actually had me worried there."

Nick's eyes narrowed, but he stayed silent.

"Instead it's something… Well, new, certainly."

His eyes narrowed just a little bit more.

"Anyway, listen, Nick," Skye continued, the tone of her voice softening out, with a hint of compassion coming in. "I don't know why exactly I'm going to repeat this, but I'm going to do it anyway, despite knowing the definition of insanity. You are not 'just a fox' or just a 'dirty con-fox' or whatever, you are you - Nick Wilde; no more, no less."

Skye turned back forwards and started the engine as Nick's eyes widened with realisation, a sly grin growing on his muzzle. "Wait, no 'responsibility for your life' part?"

She glanced back. "I think the police thing took care of that already."

"Why Skye," he said, smirking. "Was that a…" He was cut off as the engine roared out and Skye took off, the pair racing back to Moon's theatre.

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Pulling another bit of fallen debris off and into a safe place on the floor, Judy breathed out, rubbing her aching arms. She couldn't help but try her best at tidying the mess up, especially as she seemed to be the only one there who could be bothered to do it. Her gaze lingered on someone she thought would have at least a passive interest in helping out.

"... -What?"

She kept her eyes on Jack. The hare was laying back on the mattress that they'd risen up on, and which now was stuck here and wouldn't go down. Judy had to hold back the urge to shake her head in disappointment. "You could help," she said. "It's your production."

"We're going to get a mechanic who'll be moving stuff around anyway," Jack said, sitting up and shrugging his shoulders. "Why bother? Wasted energy..." He lay down again as Judy, looking up at the mess, resolved to double her efforts to tidy it up as much as possible. "-In any case, I'm thinking."

"About what?"

"Douglas Allen."

"Who?"

"My character from just now," he said. "I'm wondering, could I make him into the star of his own play? Or would he be a side character? What would his story arc be? Or… -hang on, he could be a great addition to 'Street Gang Family'. -That's one of my in-production scripts. Had the idea after seeing mafia films with all those crime family hierarchies. It got me wondering what it would be like to have that at the very bottom of the organised crime hierarchy. Would they be trying to rise up, or be going down? How would the family react? I mean, there's still lots to change and fill out and edit and all that. It'll be worth it to get some of the fun moments across for sure. You'd enjoy that one. If you wanted to be an actor again, I could make you the chief inspector!"

Pulling another heavy lump of metal, Judy turned to him and smiled. "Thanks Jack," she said, before pausing. "And Douglas Allen?"

"-Oh, right. Forgot about him. He'd be a side character in that. Maybe a secondary antagonist. Or a friend! But it would mean moving the setting and time period slightly. Lots of things I need to sort out..."

Judy nodded in agreement, before being distracted by the sound of the theatre doors opening, Nick calling out. "Judy, Jack? We're back."

Both stood up, watching as Nick and the new swift fox vixen walked up to meet them. "Judy, Jack, meet Skye. Skye, meet Jack and Judy." Greetings were exchanged, though they were cut short as the mechanic leapt up and began examining the whole mess. Letting out a long appreciative whistle, she shook her head. "Wow!"

"Yeah," Judy said, tutting. "We didn't see the collision itself, but it seems to have messed up all the systems beneath the stage too."

"Even some of the lights are bust," Jack added.

"Hmmm, massive chain reaction of failures... Purrphy's Law in full effect here!"

"You can say that again," Judy replied, before gesturing down to her sorting. "I tried to tidy it up, but I didn't get far."

"Ummmm," Skye paused, before shrugging. "I guess thanks," she replied, giving a thumbs up. Judy looked over to Jack and smirked, only to pause as the vixen carried on. "-I'm glad you care, but I'd rather have done the cleanup myself. Don't want to miss a clue or anything, or deal with someone else's mess up. It's the thought that counts though, so thanks again."

Rolling her eyes at the very proud grin on Jack's face, Judy turned back to Skye. "Well, they were only loose bits that seemed to be ready to fall off. And you're right, you gotta try!"

The vixen nodded, before stepping forwards to examine something. "Yeah, your production after all."

"Actually it's Jack's," she said. "Nick and I came here on a visit."

Glancing up, Skye looked at her for a few seconds before her eyes widened. "Judy Hopps?"

Jack smirked. "In the mammal, yes."

"Makes sense now," the swift fox said, smiling. "Thanks for the whole Night Howler thing."

A wide grin grew on Judy's muzzle as she crossed her arms. "Just Nick and I making the world a better place!"

Skye nodded, only to pause. "Is Nick your partner?" she asked. Judy nodded proudly, only for that to fade as the fox looked at her with pity. "Oh, that's… -interesting," she said, before shaking her head. She sounded genuinely concerned. "Listen, I… Well, hopefully you two get on great."

Judy's nose twitched a few times. "We certainly do get on great," she said defensively. "He has a few little issues, but he's good and I'm happy to help."

Skye looked at her curiously, before looking back over the rest of the room. "I guess you'll be happy to go off and find him then."

"I…" the bunny doe began, only to pause. Glancing around, she saw no Nick. "Right! Yes..." She leapt off the stage, running off with the hope of finding him. Jack and Skye were left alone, the vixen turning back to the stage set, the jackrabbit leaning back and watching her.

"I guess you and Nick have a history?"

Still looking around, she shrugged. "A rather big one. Let's just leave it at that."

He shrugged. While curious, he wasn't really feeling the need to probe her that much. Instead, he walked forwards, looking over the wreckage with her, the pair side by side. "You can thank my idiot boss for messing this up," Jack said, making her roll her eyes.

"Looks like an idiot boss job," she said with a chuckle, nodding her head as she stepped back and took it all in. "Then again, I might thank him… -I was in the mood for a challenge!"

His paused, looking at her. "I'd call a challenge a bad thing," he observed, crossing his arms. "But, good for you, I guess!"

Turning around, the vixen looked at him and smirked.

He looked back, confused. "What?"

"Nothing," she replied, shaking her head. "You're just… a bit of a character, shall we say."

His fur bristled slightly and he stood up tall, even his ears going upright. "I'm not just 'a bit of a character', Skye."

"_Sure_ you're not," she replied happily. "And you're not making it worse, either."

"Right now, I'm not playing any character, I'm just being Jack Savage," he boasted proudly, eyes closed. "I am just me!"

Skye chuckled a bit and, as she leaned in to observe something, she happened to glance back and see a little grin flicker across his muzzle, escaping out. She thought it a bit interesting, before turning back to the job at paw, something which was far more so.

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Out in the lobby, Nick paced around, scratching his head and deep in thought. With Skye dealt with, he was able to go back and rack his brain, running over his current mental crisis. Who was he, exactly?

What was he?

A good mammal?

A bad one?

When he'd planned to move on, cut himself from his old past and change himself, he looked forward to it. As a cop, Nick felt more free and happy than he'd ever done, and had grown from a mammal that always hid behind his hustler's mask to one who was getting ever more used to taking it off. Dropping those sarcastic hangups, and the last remnants of his cynical nature, were going to be the roof on his tower of redemption.

But he'd just had the foundations ripped from under him and everything, all that he'd worked on, now lay in a heap of rubble. He felt just like that too.

But should he?

He groaned slightly, pulling down his ears in frustration and even letting out a little growl. "Is it too much to ask for something freaky to distract me?" He asked, shaking his head. "Some new conspiracy, or another jumper to talk down, or some eldritch horror to…"

The tod trailed off, his ears folding back as he glanced at the pair of disturbing yellow statues that stood on display.

"On second thoughts, scratch that last one," he mumbled, walking away. "That's too far."

Evacuating himself from the area swiftly, he found a chair to sit himself down at and leant forwards, paw massaging his brow. What was he? Policemammal? Confox? Actor? Angsty idiot?

Or was it like Skye said, was he just Nick Wilde, with that being the be-all-end-all? Was he just a police mammal who was once a hustler? Maybe if he could rant this to his therapist he could…

…

"Oh Mother Marian," he said, getting a letter out of his pocket. On the front it read '_open in case of existential crisis', _and he dug one claw in before pausing.

"This was all a hustle, wasn't it?" he snarked to the air. Shaking his head, he opened the envelope and read what was inside.

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"_Dear Mr Wilde,_

_I presume that the plan that Judy and I worked out together has come into operation, and that your assumptions about being lost in an act since you were a kit are now in doubt or proven false._

_My techniques are unusual, but I believe in both guiding mammals with straightforward advice and letting them learn things by themselves. The latter requires some creativity in certain, challenging, cases. However, let me now do the former. Let me guide and explain my observations to you._

_Throughout our time together, you have been someone focussed on moving away from the past. As you said, seeking redemption. All things can go too far though, and both Judy and I felt this way when you tried to change the way you speak and alter your personality. Maybe that was required previously, but not now. You strive and run from the past and to the future, but the past is not all bad. There is good there, and good in you, and it's important to recognise, accept and even cherish that._

_Your 'lost in the act' theory was interesting, and I do believe that it may have been true to begin with. But, over time, you became this 'hustler Nick', and the old you merged with it. If you were struggling to get out of the act, it was because there was no act to get out of. We just needed to let you learn this for yourself._

_More importantly though, ask yourself this. Was the mammal you were the day before that mission a good one? A bad one? I believe he was good. Rough around the edges, yes, but that's who you are, and it's what a lot of people like about you. There was never anything wrong with that, ever. Your partner befriended you, quirks and all, and seeing you trying to strip those quirks, take away what was special about yourself, hurt her. Not just because she likes you, but she saw self-destructing, self-hating behaviour and, naturally, it made her terribly nervous._

_I can't tell you how to live your life, or dictate how you should act, but I can say this; the Nick Wilde I knew before the incident at the Daycare was a good mammal and a good friend. My advice, Nick, is to try and find peace with yourself, with your past, and with who you are._

_You aren't a hustler, or a cop. You're Nick Wilde._

_Feel free to contact me if you need any more help._

_Dr Lupuleli._

_._

Nick put the letter down and breathed out.

He felt…

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"Okay…"

"Nick!"

His ears flicked up and he looked over to see a concerned Judy, as it hit him just how worried she'd been for him lately. She stepped over next to him, holding out a paw, and he let his move forwards into hers, the touch staying his mind and calming him. It felt good.

He felt…

"-How are you feeling?"

"Good," he said, looking down and smiling. "Good."

And he was. He felt calm, he felt happy. He thought back to his hustler slip, and it felt natural. Okay... He had standards in his past! He was proud of them! Jack had outraged his hustler sense and that… that was okay. It was fine. In any case, it felt nicer than that 'self-destructing' thing that at least three females in his life couldn't stand. Maybe it all would be alright?

"You know," he said, chuckling slightly. "I was being a really dumb fox back there."

Judy rolled her eyes. "You can say that again."

"You know, I was being a really dumb fox back there."

He got a light punch on his leg in response and couldn't help but milk it.

"That's my best leg! My career… ruined! By a vicious bunny!"

"Sure you don't want to be an actor?" Judy said, smiling happily. Why wouldn't she be? She had her old Nick back! An old Nick who made her happy!

"I'm good thanks," he said as he stood up, an understatement if there was one. "I think I like being a cop quite enough, thank you very much."

"So do I, Nick," Judy said, nodding. "So do I."

Together, they headed back to the stage, talking as they went.

"Also, I _really_ need to refresh my hustling skills," he said.

"Oh. Why's that?"

"I may have missed a Grade A one being pulled by a certain bunny. Or should I say bunnies!" He paused, looking down deviously. "Don't tell Skye, but we foxes have our reputation to uphold."

Judy chuckled, only to pause in thought. "Say, what's up with you and Skye?"

Nick froze slightly, before taking a deep breath in. He felt a bit of apprehensiveness, it was an old and personal story. Before, he would have struggled to get it out, but now...

"We dated for a bit in our last years of school," he explained, the words coming out calmly and with no issue. "But she dumped me rather quickly."

"There's more than that, I'm guessing?"

He nodded, feeling fine to go on. "Skye was a year younger than me and her birth parents, the Fawkes', actually lived near my old home. They were a real bad bunch though, drugs and fighting, you name it. She was still a baby when social services took her away, and she was adopted by a military family elsewhere. Later on, her new father - a fox - caught cancer. He survived, but he had to take a medical discharge. He ended up as a shop teacher in our school, and that's how we met again…"

"Right..." Judy said, still unsure of where this was going.

Nick sensed her confusion and knelt down to her level. "I'm telling you this because, as far as she was concerned, she had 'the harder youth'. She was the one with the worst deck of cards at the beginning and, if foxes supposedly got a bad hand from society, she'd logically be the worst one off between the two of us. However, her father, a fox, was a popular teacher. She had good grades, good prospects, she was going places. Me though… -Remember the speech I gave you after you found out about my jumbo pop hustle?"

The bunny nodded. "You can only be what you are."

"Yup," Nick sighed. "Back then I lived by that mantra, and I preached it, trying to convince her. She didn't buy it though and, at first, she tried to drill some sense into me, before eventually giving up and being unable to stand me. By the end, all Skye saw was a fox moping around, saying he was traumatised by a 'one-off' bullying incident and milking it for all it was worth. To her, I was toxic tod who complained about all the stereotypes of his species, exaggerating them a hundred times over to mask his failures, all while being a giant hypocrite and doing all he could to promote those stereotypes…" He took a breath in, and then out… That had all been, fine! Happy with himself, he then looked over at Judy and flashed a smile. "So as a judge of character, you've gotta give her credit."

Managing to stifle a laugh, the bunny shook her head, only for a sad look to come over her. "But that wasn't a little incident though, was it? You were mute for a while…"

"A while before I met her," he said, scratching his head. "When I did, it was long ago and the damage done. She didn't know."

Judy looked on, still a bit sceptical. "Still she could be a bit less…"

"Hostile to me?" Nick asked. He gave a shrug. "Maybe. Maybe…"

She nodded. "Something I could work on," she muttered as they entered the main theatre. Jack was sitting down, watching Skye do some work. "We can always try," she said, as she briefly pictured the four of them hanging out together as good friends. "After all, we'd made a great group of four."

"Oh, I think we'd make a great foursome!" he said, turning to Judy and teasing her.

She just smiled back. It felt good to have her fox back. He felt good to be back to his old self, and to feel good about it! Jack felt good, seeing his project being put on track, and Skye was happy having a new one. Sure, there was work to be done, the bunny reminded herself. She'd have to have a talk with Skye a bit later, trying to convince her to give Nick a second chance. He had changed, after all, but thankfully not too much. With her help, he'd worked it all out. Things were good, and she just wanted to savour that for a little. She felt like nothing could possibly ruin this moment.

…

_Beep-Beep Beep-Beep Bee..._

Judy's ears shot up as her phone rang, and she quickly answered it. "Yes, Chief? It's our… -Understood." Putting her phone away, she looked at Nick gravely. "The Chief wants us in his office," she said. "They've just discovered that someone has been stealing Night Howlers."

Nick gulped, before his face hardened. Out came his sunglasses, flicked out and placed on his face. "Those guys better watch out then. Old Nick is back in town."

Judy flicked hers out too. It was time to make the world a better place again.

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**An: And so we come to the end of 'Acting out' and everyone's favourite purple flower is back in play. But how, why, where? Feel free to speculate and comment, before finding out more next week in 'Elementary introductions'.**

**Follow the full series 1 on fanfic, or the FFoZ collection on A03, to make sure you don't miss it.**

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**Anyway… Wooo! This 'oneshot' (fourshot) took a ton of work to get right. It doesn't help that this is the first, and thus most important, fic of the project. It has to be great and top notch, to hook readers in. I've never liked doing intro chapters/ fics, and I did a lot of agonising over lots of details here.**

**Working out how to place the undercover mission, in particular, was tough. At first I went straight into it, but then worried that this would put some people off. Then I tried an author's notes warning in front, then trying to ease people into it all with a future tv interview with Judy. I briefly tried having the therapy session come the day and chapter before the mission, which would be designed so you can skip it… In the end, I decided that the therapy session had to come (story wise) after the mission, so Nick could spell out his worries. This led to me moving the filing scene, originally between the mission and therapy (and where Nick sometimes made the connection between himself and that fox) to after it. After that, things went as I planned all along. Finally, I toned down the actions with Mrs and Mr Kuma, helping it fit closer to the tone of the rest of the fic. Of course, it still needed to be dark to begin with, given that it sets of Nick's self doubt.**

**This fic was all about introducing Jack and Skye, plus showing the undercover mission. Some eagled eyed viewers will have recognise the civvy helper there, and some of his friends will be making an appearance very soon. There were a ton of other easter eggs as well.**

**In the grand scheme of this story, Skye had a complex backstory that I laid out, and a personality and character that I quickly came up with. She's not the version of Skye from Embers of the Past and, though I thought about adding some of that Skye to this one, nothing much came of it. Jack meanwhile took a long time to work out/ come up with. I had his backstory, but his personality? I think I've come up with something unique, and it allowed a final addition to the series 1 plan which both gives him an arc, and Skye an extra one too (while supporting Judy's arc on top).**

**Given all that, it came almost as a surprise the Jack was easier and funner to write here than Skye. Then again, we'll see lots more of her coming up, and in some future fics I was able to really get her personality down.**

**As said before, we'll be seeing lots of smaller fics, each with their own internal story (such as Nick's personality crisis and its resolution, as seen here), but adding to the wider plot. As said before, on fanfic the next chapter will be posted after this, while on AO3 you can subscribe to the FFoZ series to get the next fic, 'Elementary introductions' when it comes out.**

**Hope you all enjoyed this. See you next time!**

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Dr Lupuleli flicked through her case notes slowly but carefully, reviewing them all as she went. This new task was not one to be taken lightly, and she had no intention of doing as such.

Pausing as she found one of particular…. strangeness, she turned to the mammal she'd invited over for an interview. It wasn't the first time they'd talked, that time had been when she was originally made aware of the patient in question, but she still wanted to make sure that everything was clear.

It all was, and after wrapping it up and being left alone, she could consider it all. Checking her emails though, she was distracted as one came up from Judy Hopps. Reading it, she smiled. The plan had worked, Nick was better. She'd been confident he would be.

She was less confident about her next patient though. Absentmindedly she remembered the mammal she'd just been interviewing, pushing for her to help this new patient, partly out of guilt but mostly due to a long and old relationship that had been greatly tested by the passage of time. Coming here, hoping that Amy could help the new charge out of her deeply speciesist ways, the Binturong hoped that she could.

Amy also remembered that the visitor had met Hopps and Wilde before. Probably best not to raise it though, given that said meeting was an arrest made at a certain asylum where fifteen missing mammals were being held.

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In a car, rolling along the warm streets of the canyonlands, a pair of big cats were talking to each other. A dark-furred Lion was driving and a vain looking tiger sat in the seat next to him, talking as they drove.

"So, we put a bid on that item of interest for the boss, but did it have to be one so substantial?"

"I'd say so," the Lion said. "The auction closes soon. We don't want anyone else coming in and outbidding us, do we?."

"I'd think we could pay half, maybe even a quarter, of what we did there and no-one would outbid us for that insulting homage. It's a lump of junk."

"It's not a lump of junk."

"Well, I disagree there. I say it is."

"No, it's not," the Lion said out loud before groaning. "I didn't take you for an idiot, but here we are. It's a religious artifact of great importance to the boss."

"Might be a thing of great importance to the boss," the tiger said, "but so is the other delivery that he just ordered and we just got! Both happen to be talentless frauds made in the mid-to-late last century."

"You talking about the delivery on the back seat."

"Is there another one? Is there?"

The lion chuckled. "That was a statement friend. Not a question."

"And it's a statement that we could pay a lot less than what we did, maybe split the money…"

"Excuse me! You're asking us to mess with the boss? You do know what happens to people who mess with the boss?"

"They send us out," the tiger boasted. "And there in is his problem."

The lion shook his head strongly. "No. Just no."

…

The tiger laughed, shaking his head. "Just toying with you, dear friend."

"Good. I really was beginning to think I was surrounded by idiots here."

...

"But it is a lump of junk," the tiger continued. "It's clearly not a real sarcophagus, probably some art made a few years ago." He paused, thinking and smiling. "I wonder what the ancient priests would think about that being made, inspired by their doomed religion."

"Doomed religion?"

"Doomed from the start," the tiger explained. "You see, the way I see it, doesn't a religion have to evolve to stay relevant? Now the ancient Egyptians, they were very specific about their gods. One for life. One for death. One for their big river... You have to agree that they wrote themselves into a corner right there."

"A corner," the Lion replied. "How so? In any case, shouldn't the exalted and religious be firm and clarified by default? If your god, the one in the sky who gave you life, gets messed around with and altered, can you really have that much faith in him? Faith to protect your everlasting soul as it traverses the valley of darkness? The sheep of the world need a strong, constant, regal god to rule them, don't they?"

"Well, lots of little adjustments are better than larger ones, are they not? Try replacing the recipe in cola, try doing it all at once. Now that's quite proven not to work. But what if they tweaked it over the years. A little here, a little there... They could change the whole coca cola recipe without us knowing."

"Now why would they do such a thing to such a national institution?"

"Because they can. They want to. Now, who's to say that the coca cola we're drinking now, is the very same coca cola that we were drinking when we were cubs?"

"Well I say and my faith says," the lion said. "That's what's lacking in you, faith. You have an utter lack of it."

"And the coca cola scientists have us all drinking new coke today, and none of us know!"

"No they're not."

"Who's to say?"

"I'm to say. I have supreme and almighty faith, that we are drinking old coke."

"But do you have old coke to prove it? To taste test against modern coke? Who's to say that the coca cola company hasn't been leading us on? They haven't abandoned new coke, so they snuck it in by stealth. We have all been hoodwinked, led on, and made to have supreme trust in the coca cola company, but they may have taken us all for a ride."

"All for a ride? Come on dear chap. If you're this worried, just stick to pawpsi cola! There's your new god for you. I'd know if coke had changed."

"Well I don't think so. Besides, does it matter? An undetectable change over half a generation. Now the Egyptian gods, meanwhile, they had an almighty god for their holy river and that river only. Now what would happen if they found a bigger river, I wonder? They'd need a new god for it, and he'll be bigger than their powerful nile god by proxy. Where would he fit into the existing mythology? Would he just arrive and make the Nile, the source of eternal life and prosperity, his bitch? They'd have to do a new coke for their faith, and that'll all fall apart. It's why we don't follow Horus or some of those other old bird gods, and why some cheap knock off sacreligious owl statue was built today, and we're after it."

The lion shook his head. "No, no, no... Think about it, the ancient Egyptian religion died of afterlife inequality."

"Afterlife inequality?"

"Getting past the giant pyramid and tomb, you needed some moronically expensive priest to pull out your organs and jar them, dissolve your brain and suck it out with a straw, cover you in salt from a lake… Not just regular plain easy to access salt from the sea, but elitist salt… and then wrap you up in bandages in a golden coffin in a decorated room with lots of curse-protected treasure, to have a chance! A chance! At making it! Where was the good afterlife for the common mammal? Where was his shot at eternal reward and paradise? He had none! That's why the egyptian religion died out. You always have to win the common mammal, the more ignorant and disorganised the better, over to your side with promises of wealth and glory, and that extends to religions too. The workers of the world need to think they have a shot at the means of redemption."

The tiger listened on, pulling out his tranq pistol to examine it as he did so. "Well, whatever happened, they're gone now and cheap knockoffs will be built of our their gods, and likely our gods in the future too."

"You mean like today? You mean like Pawpsi is to coca cola?"

"No…. Yes…. Maybe…."

"Besides," the Lion continued. "I don't think the owl thing is a knock off. Either way, the boss thinks it's valuable, and he put his bucks on it. A whole lot of bucks. The boss gets what the boss wants, and the boss wants this."

"Some cheap treat for the missus? She is the right species to be into that kind of stuff."

"I don't know," the lion pondered. "He'll be having the big guns taking the delivery. The real big guns."

"Like the Wolf?"

"Like Petey."

"Petey!" The tiger leant back, whistling. "Well I know that that's serious then. Maybe they're into that religion? Bringing it back?" He paused, before turning and leaning over the back of his seat, tranq still in paw, to look at their current delivery, a scraggly weasel trussed up in the rear of the car. "Say, do you believe that ancient gods and religion are still relevant and worthy of respect and adoration, even after…"

He was broken off as the car hit a bump, the tranq gun going off and the dart landing right between the weasel's eyes.

"YOU JUST SHOT WESSELTON IN THE FACE!"

"I JUST SHOT WESSELTON IN THE FACE!"

"WHY DID YOU JUST SHOOT WESSELTON IN THE FACE…?" The lion asked, before groaning. "Man. The boss doesn't have any friends in the canyonlands? What are we going to do? We're going to have lay low for ages now and hope everyone forgets us. Why did you even do that?"

"I didn't mean to shoot Wesselton in the…"

He broke off as a groan came from the back.

"It's… Weaselton," Duke managed to say, before passing out on the back seat.

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Exiting the theater, after sorting out the deals of her contract, Skye stretched a little before heading off to where she'd parked her bike, singing as she went. "Oh, a wandering mechanic I…"


	5. Elementary introductions

**AN: So, Acting out is over, now for something completely different. I blame Crewefox for inspiring this inclusion. Additionally, I have some awesome art by Giftheck over on my tumblr and the A03 version.**

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**FFOZ 2 (Elementary introductions)**

**.**

As she walked into the ZPD, Judy Hopps' ears were drooping. The determination she'd felt when the news of a nighthowler theft had put an end to her day off had faded, replaced with an underlying worry. She put on a brave face, gave a wave to the dispatch officer filling in for Clawhauser on his day off, and carried on walking. She could manage; her feelings weren't that unusual. After all, for all her optimism and cheery nature, Judy happened to be a bunny who worried.

A _lot_.

Why wouldn't she?

However much she wore rose-tinted glasses and pushed forwards to make the world a better place, she'd always known that there was bad stuff out there.

The very nature of her job was built around protecting mammals from the realities of that fact.

It was more than that though. While misled by a mammal who had deceived her, and so many others, she had let herself be deceived into making the world a worse place due to her actions. Accidental, misled, and manipulated actions, yes; but they were still _her_ actions. Even if the case was now closed and the balance paid, it still worried her how easily she'd fallen into that trap.

She still smiled and loved life, of course, but her commitment to making the world a better place, to be a better mammal herself, had only grown stronger afterwards. While she always preferred to focus on the bright future, and about how much good there was, the fact that she was aiming higher meant she had to worry by default.

She'd just gotten over worrying about her partner, who'd been going through a personality crisis, when something else came up.

Something which she was worried about very much.

A report of Nighthowlers being stolen, and the chance that another crisis was about to hit the city once more.

.

"Doing okay, Carrots?"

Judy sighed, looking up and giving a quick shake of her head. "Not really, no." She wasn't. Not when a danger she'd faced, that she could have been killed by, that she thought was gone, forever, was back.

Nodding in agreement, Nick held down a paw, which she held onto. It made her feel better. She was still worried, but with the help of her fox she doubled down on the confidence that they could fix this.

Together.

They shared a glance before a maroon paw knocked against the Chief's door.

A deep "come in," rumbled out and, paw in paw, they entered the office of Chief Bogo. Being smaller mammals, they felt extra small in here as always, dwarfed by furniture meant for tigers, wolves, and rhinos. The great cape buffalo glanced up at them through a pair of half-moon reading glasses before looking back down at his desk. "I understand that you feel this way, and I do have strong faith in my officers. But given their smaller size, there is still an inherent risk…"

Nick's head tilted slightly, a classic canine sign of curiosity and confusion, before a new voice spoke out. It had the same accent as the chief, but it was lighter, faster and more refined.

"Yes, yes, quite. But we're seasoned professionals who've dealt with far more."

"And I understand that," Bogo continued, Judy guessing that he was speaking into a communicator or something. It was hard to tell when they were standing at the bottom of the bull's massive desk. "But, I have an inherent duty of care that I must uphold. You'll still be working with Wilde and Hopps, alongside an extra set of eyes, ones attached to larger paws that can defend you and fast feet to evacuate you in a worst case scenario."

"A reasonable compromise," another voice spoke up, "though one we both consider unnecessary."

"Well in that case, let us agree to disagree," Bogo huffed, before turning to the newly arrived mammals. "Take a seat," he said, gesturing to the extra adjustable chairs that had been provided. "I apologise for pulling you in on your day off. Overtime pay or extra holiday days will be supplied."

Nick and Judy nodded, before both speaking out. "Holiday/Pay," they said respectively. The fox and the rabbit then exchanged a smile before the door behind them opened, a female cheetah officer joining them.

"Catano," the Chief said with a nod.

"Afternoon," she greeted, sitting down as both Nick and Judy climbed up their chairs, having them on their highest setting so that they could see over the desk. They both paused though as they saw something that they hadn't expected.

It hadn't been an intercom that Bogo was talking into, but a pair of mice. One was taller, thin, and had a fast and cunning look about him. The other was a bit shorter, much rounder, and had a very homely feel to him; a look complemented by his large bushy moustache.

"Officers," the chief spoke. "Meet two of the newest benefactors of the MII. Inspectors Basil and Dave Dawson. Formerly well renowned PI's in Little Rodentia, they quickly became the senior investigators back when the LR Precinct was set up as part of Lionheart's reforms. They've had a high success rate in their Borough, and have trained up a large number of apprentices, who can now take over for them while they're here."

Judy smiled, looking over the pair. "Hey there," she greeted, reaching out a finger for them to shake.

"Pleased to meet you Miss Hopps," Basil replied.

"Indeed, splendid it is," Dave enthusiastically added, trying to shake her finger vigorously.

With a smirk on his muzzle, Nick spoke too. "She's just glad that she isn't the runt of the ZPD litter anymore."

"Shut it, Wilde," the Chief muttered, as Nick took his turn to greet the rodents.

"I wouldn't worry about a bit of fun humour," Dave said, smiling. "I like a mammal who tries to warm the mood up in dark times."

There was a huff from Bogo. "That's one way of describing it…"

Judy glanced up at him but stayed quiet. Sure, she knew that Nick could get pretty annoying, but she enjoyed it. More importantly, after all the issues he'd been having recently, it felt wonderfully reassuring to have a bit of classic Wilde irritance present. Especially, she remembered sadly, due to the seriousness of the situation.

"Speaking of dark times," the cheetah spoke up, "how bad is it?" She gave a little swish of her tail, before carrying on. "I heard this had something to do with Nighthowlers, but not much else." Judy silently agreed. Kii Catano was an older, but still young, officer on the force, and one the bunny liked. She was always one to get quickly to the point, and often the solution. There was a nighthowler issue in the city, and the bunny felt that it was best to get on top of it as soon as they could.

Bogo nodded, before bringing out a case file. "Earlier this morning, the owner of a nearby flower store phoned in. He reported that, on a stock check, he discovered that the bulbs…"

"Corms, sir," Judy corrected on reflex.

"Corms… Had been secretly swapped with replacements. Mouldy onions probably." There was a dark levity in his voice as he briefly glanced Judy's way.

"Did he ever have any reports of customers coming back, reporting that their pest control wasn't working?" Basil enquired. "Records and such could give us a timeframe for how long this situation has been ongoing, and a sense of how much of a threat we are facing."

"He was brief, and the details will be something for you to fill in," Bogo replied. He stood up, glancing at them all, before letting out a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. "I'll be frank. This is going to be treated seriously. Very seriously. Searches, restrictions, drills in public institutions… I never wanted a repeat of the nighthowler case, but we may be facing savage mammals, pred or prey, in the streets. I've talked to the Mayor and we've agreed; if there's the slightest chance of more savages, then we're willing to scare this city to the core if there's a chance of stopping it." He looked down at the assembled mammals before nodding. "That stopping part is your job," he said. "Do not let me down."

Judy saluted hard, harder than the rest. "Yes, Sir!" She said, and she meant it.

Bogo nodded. "Good. And maybe after this, we'll get a proper ban on those damn things."

There were general nods of agreement from all parties, except one. Judy shook her head and spoke out. "Sir, that won't happen."

He paused, turning to stare her down. His presence would always send a chill down her spine, right to the tip of her tail, and this time was no exception. "You're not looking at it from the other side," she elaborated. "I come from there, from a farming family. Replacing _midnicampum holicithius_ with traditional pesticides would increase our overhead by twenty percent. Given the low profit margins, end costs would just do the same. No pest protection would result in major losses and similar price increases. The Burrows would never pass such a ban."

"She's right," Nick added in. Judy turned to look at him, smiling happily due to his support. "In any case, while I don't like the idea of another savage crisis… -how many died in the nighthowler scare? None."

"We were exceptionally lucky there, Wilde," Bogo said, a dark levity in his voice.

"I know," he replied. "But just consider what she said about the end costs going up. How many mammals on the breadline will suffer if that line jumps up twenty percent, huh? Unintended consequences."

The chief paused, before nodding. "Understood. Then maybe not a ban in the Burrows, but in the city, perhaps..."

Nick shrugged. "Maybe. But still, unintended consequences. I personally know how nasty those can be."

Bogo paused, looking down at Nick with a characteristic look on his face. The one Judy knew he used when Nick had given a dose of snark, over which he saw a chance of grilling the fox back over on. "Oh," he asked, "do you now?"

Judy noticed Nick's fur bristle slightly. "Yeah. I've been around," he said, looking off into a corner for a second or so.

"I insist Wilde," the Chief carried on, smiling slightly as he enjoyed the chance of getting a little payback for the fox's antics. "On pain of parking duty in the future, please tell us what dumb mess you may have gotten yourself into?"

Nick glanced at her before taking a deep breath in and speaking. "I was fourteen in May '98, Chief."

There was a pause. Bogo was oddly still, before he sighed. "My apologies," he said. Judy looked on, suddenly curious about what all this was about, though she didn't get a chance to ask. The chief stood up tall and looked at his newly arranged crack team. "Suit up and get out there. I want to nip this in the bud. Understood?"

"Yes sir," they replied in unison, Judy, as always, the loudest of the bunch. They saluted him, before the two mice detectives jumped into Catano's paws, while Nick and Judy went to their respective lockers.

.

.

"Nick," she said cautiously, as they reached the top of the stairs. She kept herself focussed on his expressions, trying to see or read any clues as to what was going on inside him. While he'd given tips and advice before, she didn't have the raw talent at reading mammals that he did. Still, she could spot his ear tips raise ever so lightly, see him rise as he took a short breath in and… Smile?

"Wondered how long it would take you to ask about that," he said, his voice relaxed.

Judy smiled, he'd been waiting and expecting.

"-and I'll tell you." There was a pause, as they reached the ground floor. The lockers were nearby, so he found a secluded alcove with some seats in it where they could talk. He cleared his throat, before carrying on. "I'm sure you've heard me talk about the Squirrel Troubles before," he said, and she nodded. It wasn't that long ago when he'd briefly mentioned them in a store in Sahara Square. She didn't know the details though, something she expected was about to change. "Let's just say that red squirrels and gray squirrels don't exactly get along - some convoluted historical grudge that changes depending on who you ask. Either way, it's a long and deep hatred. Bunnies and foxes? I guess there's a fair bit of worry and caution in some parts with the odd bit of hatred. But red and grey squirrels?" He paused, chuckling. "That is where you go for pure unreserved triple distilled despisement. -Anyhow, this resulted in them pretty much segregating themselves from each other, on their own volition. You'd have areas full of reds, and others of greys, and if they so much as looked at each other funny… it wasn't pretty. It _really_ wasn't."

Judy nodded. "It's dumb," she said, as, whatever way she looked at it, it was.

"I know," Nick replied, smiling a little. "But you know how it is. The nastiest fights are all over the ittiest bittiest littlest differences. -Anyway, most Mayors and politicians were okay with this, happy to let it be. But in 'ninety-six, we had a big change in both the mayor and council. Lots of progressive utopianists replacing the more conservative, cynical, 'don't fix what ain't broke' old guard." He paused, a little smile flashing across his muzzle. "Basically replacing a bunch of 'me's', who were in charge, with a bunch of 'you's'".

Judy chuckled, and Nick paused, smiling as he did so before carrying on.

"And like you, they thought the squirrel situation was stupid. So, they tried to fix it. All squirrels in school would be moved to new ones so that red and grey mixed, the idea being they'd get to know each other and fix this."

She nodded, before a sad realisation hit her. "I guess it didn't go that well."

He nodded, his expression shifting slightly into something far more serious, and she knew right then that it really didn't go well at all.

"Apart from pulling tons of students from their friends, and ripping away so many irreplaceable lie-ins from those who used to live next to their school, they pretty much created anarchy in the classrooms." There was a pause, and a little grin grew across his face. "One fight kicked off while I was studying Romeo and Juliet, our teaching calling it the Fourth Civil Brawl.

"That must have been rough," Judy said, her ears drooping as she leant forwards to hold his paws. To comfort him… Only he shook his head and backed off a bit. There was more.

"Detentions and suspensions didn't work, since the parents would practically give their kits parties for fighting the enemy." He sighed, and looked down, scratching behind his ear. "So, those in charge got desperate. They eventually had the _really_ smart idea of letting teachers give those kits extended detentions in juvie. A day or two behind bars, to actually make sure they were punished. But you can't just make it so that only squirrels have this done to them. Species-specific laws either need approval via a referendum from that species, or a supermajority vote in the council. But applying it universally? They could do that, and they were desperate, so they did."

Judy nodded on, only to pause, a creeping horror coming over her. She remembered what he'd said, and that he'd been through so much, and she remembered an odd answer to a certain question on a certain form. Where, on what should have been a simple yes or no, he'd written 'maybe'. "Oh Nick…" she gasped, looking up at him and suddenly feeling sorry for him all over again. So much he'd been through, so much unfair, and all that he'd bottled up. She walked forwards, putting her paws in his and holding him tight. Letting him know that he wasn't alone.

"It's okay, Carrots."

"No. It's not." It wasn't, and wouldn't ever be.

"It's over twenty years ago, and I was in for less than two days…"

"Two days too long," she told him. "What did you even do?"

He shrugged. "The school bus was late, I signed in with everyone else, but a few bad teachers used it as a chance to take their anger out on students they didn't like, which included yours truly."

"That's even worse," she gasped, as a righteous fury took hold of her. If he'd have been innocently goofing, it would be dreadful, but this… A mistake by the school, which he then got singled out and penalised for! Incarcerated for! It was intolerable. Evil…

"Relax, Carrots."

"I can't," she told him, truthfully.

"By the time I arrived, they'd actually run out of prison uniforms. I was put in an overcrowded cell with some real inmates, and plenty of others sent by teachers on power trips, before the Warden gathered us detentionaires in the sports hall. He personally apologised for this mess, said he'd be telling the Mayor himself that it was a farce, before they turned on a projector and gave us a film fest. We camped there overnight, the next day was the same until I was released, and like many parents my mother straight-up refused to send me to school until the law was removed! It was such a catastrophe, it was repealed in less than a month!" He chuckled a little. "Unintended consequences fluff. Happy optimistic modern government didn't realise just how many teachers were power-tripping jerks."

Judy looked on and sighed. She felt a bit better. There was also a nagging sense of melancholy there, a sadness for a government that tried to make the world a better place, only for their actions to mutate and break, making it so much worse. She knew how that felt. But still, it wasn't okay. "I'm sorry for that, Nick," she said, holding him tighter, wanting to make him feel okay.

"It's water under the bridge," he said. "For what it's worth, it caused a complete reform of the youth justice system. Now only the really violent ones go to juvie, with the rest going to reform schools and such. So, happy ending I guess?" He winked as he got up, making his way over to the men's lockers. "Besides, I made friends in Juvie. It was where I met Finnick."

"Was he in there for being late as well?"

He looked at her and smiled. "Drug dealing, assault, resisting arrest and grand theft auto."

…

"-Okay, I can see that," she admitted.

"Yeah. Also, he's actually really cute in black and white stripes."

Judy chuckled as she reached the door to the womens' locker room, giving one last glance at Nick.

"Also, the friend I met there who was in for being late was Flash," he said, giving her a wink. "Be outraged or humoured at your own pleasure."

Then he was off, inside, and after Judy shook the shock at the treatment that sloth had received out of her head she went to get changed too. The others would be waiting for them. As she got out of her civvies and into her uniform though, Judy couldn't help but think of a young Nick, coming into class with the rest of the mammals from his late bus, only to get singled out. Grabbed, cuffed, thrown in the back of a squad car and driven off to jail, his book bag still at his feet.

She closed her eyes. He said it was okay, but she felt he needed some sympathy. Something, or other, to bring a smile to his face and make him do that.

She could do that.

She _would_ do that.

Ideally, before lunch!

.

.

.

"Are you the cops!? Thank goodness you're here!"

It took a few seconds for Judy to realise that the store they were going to was the same one that Weaselton had stolen from before she took the Otterton case. The pig proprietor, who she'd only met once and briefly at that, seemed every bit as frantic as he had been on that day.

"That's right," Judy saluted. "We're cops. _Real_ cops."

"We're totally not not cops," Nick added as well, earning a light ribbing from Hopps. Catano, meanwhile, held out her paw, the pig racing forwards to shake it, only to pause as he saw the two mice sitting on her paw pad. He held still for a second or so, before moving his hoof-finger forwards to lightly shake both their paws. They all introduced themselves, before heading in and sitting down in the office at the store's rear. Basil led with the questions, while Judy wrote everything down.

"When did you realise that something was a problem?"

The pig nodded, before giving an aside glance. "I tend to look things over every now and again, just a spot-check you see. But I got this letter a few days ago, talking about an inspection of my _midnicampum_ stocks as part of the Nighthowler Act…"

"The MHSCA," Judy clarified. "_Midnicampum Holicithius_ Security and Control Act, regulating the sale, control and usage within city limits, and the actions that police can take against suspects."

"Right, right " he said, before pausing, gulping slightly. "S-suspects? I'm not a suspect right? I swear I…"

"You're just a scared mammal whose side of the story we're trying to get," Dave reassured. He glanced over to Basil, who nodded and then spoke.

"Do carry on, in your own time of course."

"Yes. Sure. Now, anyways, I don't advertise them anymore since that dreadful scare… During it, alongside that weasel, I had much of my stock repeatedly stolen! Again and again, and I just replaced it, not reporting it as there was all that panic going on… I guess those nasty sheep were taking it. But after Bellwether got arrested, I put them in a special safe like the law required, and I only sell them to old customers; allotments and sorts, though most have stopped using them now."

"Why did you keep any of them if your sales had gone?" Basil asked.

"I don't like throwing away good stock," he confessed, looking down guiltily. "I thought I'd just let them sell out slowly but surely before I got out of the game."

"Sounds fair," Nick added. "I used to make a lot of money hauling old brick rubble from demolition sites. Cut the blocks into bricks and get off the mortar with a decent band saw I got secondpaw, and then sell them for things like garden walls at half the price of normal bricks." He paused, gesturing down at his uniform. "With my new employment though, no time for that. But as I don't need the cash to pay off my rent, I can sell my remaining stock off over a decade or two at ten times the price, to whichever mammal has an interest in super deluxe vintage garden bricks!"

The pig smiled and relaxed just a little. "Thanks. Nice to know there's a fellow business mammal who can empathise with me."

"Empathising is my speciality," he said with a wink.

"I can tell," the pig said, before carrying on. "Anyhow, I usually do a quick check with my eyes every now and then, but this time, with the inspection and everything, I took a closer look, sniffing too, and found out that most of my stock had been swapped!"

"With onions?"

"No. I'd have noticed it right away if that were the case! It's with the corms of some other type of crocus. I only noticed when I sniffed in closer." He paused and sighed. "I think they're for the flower you get saffron from. You can get those just about anywhere… But that's just a rough guess. I really don't know!"

Basil nodded. "Can we see this safe?"

The pig, who went by the name of Mr Trottington, led them over into the store room, which was kept under lock and key. In there was a safe, it too being unlocked with a key. Opening it up, the officers looked in, taking pictures of the stored corms. "I thought about sorting them into 'real' and 'not real', but then I thought I should leave it be."

"Quite good," Basil said, before pausing. He glanced around, before looking up to Catano. "Mind going up a bit?"

"Huh?" She asked.

"Move us up a bit."

"Like this?" She asked, lifting her paw up slightly.

"Yes, like that, now just to the right. -Ten-O-Clock. Forwards, forwards, STOP! Up a bit, down a bit, right, higher, Higher! BINGO!"

The rest of the group looked on, confused somewhat, as Catano, her legs and arms straining, held the two mice up to the side of an unused heating unit, covered with cobwebs and dust. "Do you feel what I feel?" Basil asked to Dave, excitedly.

"Well, apart from a slight queasiness, I'm pretty certain that I can feel a distinct draft!"

"Exactly!" he said, leaping off onto the top of the unit. He walked over to a little bit of wood siding, almost hidden for the others, and ran his paws along it. "Not here… not here…. not… -AH!"

"What is it?" Judy asked, unable to see him.

"This panel is loose!" he said out loud. "I just can't get it open. Dave?"

The other mouse leapt off Catano's paws, just about making it, before running over to help. Judy, curious, found a chair near the back of the room and climbed up to get a better view. From there, she saw the little panel shake before suddenly swinging out.

"My goodness," Basil said.

"Quite so," Dave added, as the pair move in, and out of sight for the others..

The larger mammals looked on with bated breath for a few seconds, before a joint set of screams rang out.

Catano flinched, before jumping, grabbing the heating unit and pulling herself up. "Are you okay?"

…

"Apologies," Dave called out. "There was a rather large spider."

Catano frowned. "Your scream made it sound like you were in danger, not spooked by an insect." She let herself down, just as Dave wandered out, looking down at all of them.

"I'll have you know that, first off, it was not an insect. It was an arachnid. Second of all, you'd be screaming too if it was wider than you and came up to your waist!"

"I…" Catano began. "Oh, right…"

Dave nodded. "I mean, it must be like you coming home one day to find one of those spider crabs in your hallway, but with the claws replaced with potentially venomous fangs or something." He paused, shivering. "Or one of those 'Bui-Bui's' you hear about around campfires and stuff."

"My apologies," she said, before turning to Basil, who'd just arrived. He looked over to Mr Trottington and spoke.

"Good sir, I believe I've worked out how you've been preyed upon."

"How so?"

"Elementary, my dear," he said, straightening his bowtie before carrying on. "To take this much care in swapping your stock out takes great perseverance. Whoever was doing this was far more concerned with not being spotted than getting a large quantity of flowers. After all, the smash-and-grab approach used by the weasel who tried to supply your howlers to the miscreants behind the Night Howler Panic turned out to be the crack that my two colleagues here could widen and widen, until they broke the whole thing apart! Moreover, we don't know how long this theft has been going on for, but it could have been years, surreptitiously swapping those infamous flowers whenever you brought in new stock. In short, _stealth_ was the priority, and coming in the front way poses a lot of risks, especially on repeat visits. Thus, I presumed it likely that there might have been a back-door method of access to this room. Buildings such as these are full of old drain pipes or gaps, from which a simple entranceway can be procured. Once in here, I was able to sense a slight draft and, on investigating it, find the method of entry!"

"Wait," the pig said, gasping in shock. "Someone tunneled through my shop!? Is it still safe?"

"The means of entry down to this hole appears to be a cavity between this building and the next," Basil said, before pausing. "Next door appears to be significantly newer in construction. Were you there when it was built?"

"I just about remember the old building when that came down. Had to sign a few forms and such about the party wall."

"And during the demolition, a steel frame would have been erected to support the other side of your wall," Basil carried on. "When the new building went up, they placed a stud wall next to your one, and filled the gap with insulation. This miscreant of ours has just pushed that insulation to the side to make an access way going up! They then dug through a single brick, -not harming the integrity of the building you'll be glad to know, before affixing a fake bit of siding as a door!"

"Complete with hinges, and those little sliding clippy things whose name eludes me to keep it closed," Dave added.

"So, someone's been serious about this," Nick said, wandering over to the corms with Judy. He began sniffing through them, while Judy looked at and studied each of them.

"Maybe that weasel again!" the shop owner said.

Nick looked up from his little investigation and shook his head. "Listen, I know that weasel. He's too dumb to pull off this kind of operation. Besides, after the last time he messed with those things, he's probably sworn off them for good."

"But what if he's found some mammals to pay him enough for it?" the pig carried on. "I mean, thinking back now I'm pretty sure I remember some brown fur. A weaselly smell. I just shrugged it off at the time, but now that I think about it…"

He trailed off, before Dave spoke. "Our minds can play a lot of tricks on us, especially with regard to memoriy. We haven't seen any brown fur. Wilde, can you smell any weasel?"

"I smell a hint of some rodent on a few of those bulbs…"

"-Corms."

"-Thanks, Carrots. But it's hard to tell given how strong the corms themselves smell," Nick explained. "Even if you just had the smell, I don't know what kind of small rodent it would be. Mouse, rat, water vole... "

Basil went oddly quiet and glanced over at Basil. "So, a rodent was involved?" he asked, a hint of worry in his voice. Dave looked back.

"Potentially one of the many, many types in our city," he said, almost reassuringly.

"Even so," Nick replied. "We'd want to get a pic of him." He paused, thinking. "Are there any security cameras on the roof? Traffic cams that could spot where he comes out?"

"I don't know," the pig sighed. "We could go up to the roof and have a look though?"

"Excellent idea!" Basil replied, before looking down at Nick. "Officer Wilde, care to join us?"

He smiled. "After breathing in crazy corm fumes, I could do with some fresh air."

Judy nodded, before stepping forward. "I could stay here. I've noticed something about the corms." She gestured over to two piles, one made up of just three corms, one made up of a dozen. "The one on the left are the ones that Nick judged as the real deal. The ones on the right are the fakes. Visually identical. Back when Weaselton stole them, I only identified them thanks to a tag with the latin name attached. However, someone's been making marks on these new ones." She held one up, turning it over, and revealing a little cross cut into it. "Each of the new ones are marked this way. Blink and you might miss it. But once you know, it's obvious."

"Tracking which ones he swapped out," the pig mused. He then walked forwards, examining his safe. "It's only a basic key on this one, I guess my robber made himself a duplicate!"

"Most likely," Basil said. "You might want to invest in a new one!"

"Not quite yet," Nick jumped in, turning around and smiling. "You might want to invest in some cameras in here first," he said. "After all, this guy's job might not be finished yet."

There was a chuckle from Dave. "What a marvellous idea," he said. "Set a trap for our mammal. We can work on that later. But first, Judy can help separate the swapped plants from the originals and find out how much damage we've got. Wilde, Mr Trottington, Basil and I can check the roof!"

"What about me, sir?" Catano asked.

"Well, I suppose you can get us down from here for starters," he said, before giving a hearty chuckle.

.

It wasn't long before the groups split up. Catano chose to stay with Judy, searching around for clues and cataloguing the crime scene. As she did so, the bunny sorted the corms. The ratio was worse than she'd thought; less than a fifth of the corms were genuine nighthowler. With over a hundred bulbs in all, it got her worrying again, about what this new wrongdoer was planning to do with them. Added to that was her concern for Nick, and her wish to make him feel a bit happier.

"Say, Hopps."

"Yes, Kii?" Judy asked, turning to see the athletic cheetah taking some pictures of the entranceway, having found a chair to stand on.

"I heard about that undercover operation that you and Wilde have been pulling. The one with the corny name."

"Operation Pacifier Clip?"

"Yeah that's the one," she said, turning to face Judy. "I'm guessing it was one of his, wasn't it?"

"Idea or name?"

"Both."

"Well, you're right on both counts," she said proudly.

Catano smiled. "Nice. He's a clever mammal, and I have to say that I'm impressed by that whole setup." She paused though, thinking. "Say," she said, her ears drooping a bit. "You don't think he, you know… -enjoys it?"

Judy paused, turning towards Catano and shrugging. "I mean, he enjoys pulling the ruse, if that's what you mean. Then there's the feeling once you get the perps in the end."

"Yeah," Kii replied, relaxing a bit. "That must feel good. Great even. Thrill of the hunt?"

"I'd say more one-upmammalship."

The cheetah gave a little snort of a laugh, before stepping down from her chair. She walked over to the safe and, shining a bright light into it, began taking pictures. "I think that's how Basil and Dave operate, always trying to one-up each other. No wonder your partner is their favourite," she said, chuckling a bit. There was a pause, before she chuckled a bit louder.

"What's so funny?" Judy asked, smiling a bit. The laugh had lightened her mood a little, even as she still sorted the corms into a very depressing ratio.

"Oh nothing."

"No, it's not," she teased.

"Just something dumb."

"So, it's not something sensitive like Nick's was," Judy stated. "So I don't get to feel guilty about pressing it. Come on Kii, what's got your tail in a twist?"

"I…" she said, before shaking her head. "Okay, fine. Do you remember that the chief introduced them as 'Inspectors Dave and Basil Dawson!' Wondered why, exactly?"

"I don't…" Judy began, before pausing. "I didn't think about it, but do they have the same last name?"

Kii nodded. "After tying the knot, they did."

Judy paused, before glancing up to her friend and smiling. "They're married? That's so adorable! I didn't realise!"

"Dave started out as a lodger and an assistant to Basil during their PI days or something," Catano explained, carrying on her investigation as she did so, now taking pictures of some of the other plants and seeds that were present. "Started living together, then solving cases together, then hanging about, then needing each other and arguing like a couple! I don't know the exact details of their sexuality, but one day they realised they loved each other. The rest is history."

"That's so nice," Judy commented, before pausing. "Though I still don't know why you were giggling."

"With how alike they are, I was thinking about Nick joining them to be a threesome or something!"

Judy burst out into laughter, shaking her head as she did so. "That's… How would that even work?" she asked. "Compare the size of a mouse to the size of a fox. How?"

"I know," the cheetah replied. She paused though, noticing that Judy was about to finish her work. "Mind having a look under these shelves?" she asked. "You can get at them better."

"Just a sec," the bunny replied, as she settled the last corm. "Thirty one of these are _midnicampum_, one-hundred-and-seventeen are not," she said, before sighing, deflating as the implications of that settled on her. Looking down, rubbing the front of her head, she pushed herself to get off her chair and go help Catano. She quickly got into the swing though, taking picture after picture in places the larger mammal struggled to get to.

…

"I mean, the whole reason it's funny is how can a fox and two mice work," Kii continued, the return to the silly topic bringing a little smile to Judy's face. Lighting the day up a little once more. "I mean, the whole three mammal things is quite weird for a start," she went on. "Not sure how that got into my thinker, other than popping into it. But I guess, if it works for them, it works for them. As long as they really love each over. But still, imagine them trying to kiss."

Judy chuckled. "With tongue or without?"

"Either way," she said. "And what about hugs? Do they get a set of robotic arms that they use to wrap around him? And then you get grooming. They'd need a machine or something, to give a fairly dull groom at that. A good brush groom, yet alone a real tongue groom, is out of the question!"

"Wouldn't any groom sort of count?" Judy asked, not really sure in the ways of such things.

Kii shook her head. "With mammals that socially groom, Hopps, there's grooming… and then there's _grooming_." She paused, thinking, before carrying on. "Even if I had inter tendencies and fell for a mammal that didn't do tongue grooming, I'm not sure if I would follow it through. The whole grooming thing is so important, such a real way of showing and expressing love for us, it would like you having a relationship with someone who couldn't really touch you or anything. Just, a deal-breaker."

"Oh, fair enough then," the bunny replied. To be honest, she'd never really looked into the romantic social cues and customs of other mammals that much. In all honesty, she hadn't really considered dating or romantics for quite a while. She'd looked around a bit in high school, and university, but she liked to keep herself busy with her work. She didn't really think that she had the time to actively look, but she had a good hope that, given time, she'd stumble across a nice mammal.

"Anyway, it's all dumb," Catano replied, inspecting some more things. "After all, I don't even know what way Nick flips. I'll bet it's vixens only for him."

"Probably," Judy replied. "He's my best friend, but I don't know what his romantic life is like. It's not really my business, so I haven't probed or anything."

"Good call," Kii agreed, only to pause. "There's some high-up areas I can't reach. Mind going on my paws?"

"Sure," Judy agreed, and soon she was being lifted up. Even though Kii held onto her feet tight, and kept her paws steady, Judy still had a disconcerting wobble. "There's a ledge up here. If you…"

"On it," she replied, as she brought the bunny over. Releasing her paws, she watched Judy climb up and over to have a look.

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome," she replied, before looking around, trying to see if there was anything she'd missed. There wasn't.

"You know Kii," Judy said, giggling slightly. "When you asked, 'how it would work,' I first imagined the bedroom activities."

The cheetah groaned, her ears going flat against her skull and her body slouching there. "_Bleaugghhh_… Did you have to bring that up?"

"I… -why, don't you like it?" Judy said, before her ears drooped down with realisation. "Oh Kii, I'm sorry if…"

"I… -I just don't like how it always goes to that," she said, tapping one of her feet on the floor as she did so. "I mean, yes it's fun to do, but it's a special part of a relationship. But 'ha-ha S-E-X', it's like everyone's a creepy teen boy or something who finds that funny. And it's not…"

There was a pause. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable there."

Kii's face lightened up a bit. "Thanks… Just…"

"Want to talk?"

…

Judy cleared her throat, before speaking. "Do you know Mystic Springs Oasis?"

"The naturalists, yeah," she said. "I'm cool with them. It's a sort of feel-good thing with them, not a freaky lusty thing. I get that, even if I would never step in there in a million years."

"When tracking down Emmitt Otterton, Nick knew that he'd last been seen in there. He led me to it, without telling me about the 'dress code.'"

"Oh dear," she gasped, doubling over slightly as her eyes closed, a light and huffing chuckle coming from her mouth.

"Yeah," she replied. "For a mammal who's dealt with a warren of naked kits running this way and that for all my life, I was surprised at how embarrassing all that was!" There was a pause, and her voice softened. "I guess sometimes you get embarrassed by dumb things."

"Maybe…" Kii replied. "Maybe… -Have you ever seen the film _Rear Window_?"

"Is that the one where the guy is homebound, and looks on at his neighbours and witnesses a murder?"

"That's the one, yeah. Anyway…"

"-I'm about done up here," Judy interrupted. "Mind giving me a paw down?"

"On it," the cheetah said, her paws quickly going up and lowering the bunny back down to ground level. "Is this what I've become? A small mammal lifter?"

Judy chuckled, a smile flashing across her face. "Thanks, Kii," she said, before pausing, looking at the dust and cobwebs on her. "Better dust myself off."

"Let's go into the front," the cheetah replied. "Get some natural light."

Nodding her head, the bunny led the way, Catano following. "Anyway, rear window; when I was a teen I might have had something a bit similar, thinking I was seeing a torture session. I think you can tell where this is going. It involved a phone call to the police after witnessing certain things going on, and a lot of embarrassment after…" She looked away and sighed slightly, rubbing the back of her head as she did so. "The whole thing just creeps me out a little. It's part of the reason I don't like mammals jumping to the lewd jokes either," she said, before looking at Judy. They were in the front shop now, sunlight bathing down on them and the sweet smells of flowers in the air.

Judy, who was brushing herself down, nodded. "I didn't realise you felt that way. Sorry for bringing it up."

The cheetah sighed. "Don't be. Just… Urgh…. -You know those mammals that the undercover mission caught?"

The bunny remembered, quite distastefully. "Yes."

Kii nodded, before walking over to a corner of the store, leaning back there with her head in her paws. "I mean, that was all the creepiness…" She paused, moving about a bit, before carrying on. "Just turned up and up, all done by these horrible selfish mammals who think that it's okay, you know?" she said, before taking a long pause. Judy looked at her, her nose twitching slightly. Something was up with the way she talked and the way she was acting. It was almost like she was a little drowsy. "Just doing it for… for… for themselves, and their own pleasure, and all in really dumb and stupid and weird ways that… that…" There was another pause, as Kii rubbed her paw all over her face vigorously. "It's all just perverted and disgusting… I mean… where does it even start…? Don't they know they're… weird, and wrong… and really quite gross and really sick when…" Kii stopped talking again, before rubbing both paws on her head, hard.

"Kii?"

The cheetah suddenly marched forwards, right over to the other side of the room, where she stood, panting slightly. "Woah… Sorry, long time. Didn't realise what was going on until just then," she said, before rubbing her face again.

"What was going on?" Judy asked, both relieved and confused.

"Catnip," she said, before chuckling a little. Judy turned and, in the corner of the store, she saw a large plant of it in a pot.

"Ooops…"

"Yeah," Catano replied, rubbing her face once more. "Might need to ask to use a sink. Wash this all off."

Judy nodded before pausing, curious. "What does it feel like, by the way?"

"You know when you're drifting in and out of sleep when having a lie in, under thick covers. It feels like that, thick covers included. Plus you're a little tipsy. Plus getting stroked and stuff feels really nice, like it does when you're getting groomed, but warmer, smoother and gentler."

"So, like a parent's hug after not seeing them for a long time?" she asked, curious as she stepped over to the plant in question. She knew it wouldn't work on her, but still…

"I guess," Kii replied, before standing to slightly as she heard some mammals coming down the stairs. A door opened, and out came Nick, Trottington, Basil, and Dave. She turned to the pig first. "Do you have a bathroom I could use?" she asked. "I didn't realise I was next to some catnip." He nodded, before pointing the way. "Thanks," she said, and off she went.

"We found the exit on the roof," Nick said. "But no cams with a good view of the site."

"What about the jam cams?" Judy asked.

"Our fantastic fox here thought the same thing," Basil said, patting Nick's shoulders as he sat on it. "We don't know, and it'll be something to check."

"It will be," the bunny replied, as she thought back. She told them just how many howlers had been stolen and watched as a grave expression took over the mammals faces.

"With so many," Dave pondered, "and with so much time this could have taken place in, who knows how many news ones they might have propagated. How many toxins they might have refined! This is most worrying."

"I agree," Nick said, sighing. "I… I don't usually say this, but we need a big search going on now. And get mammals ready in case the worst…"

Judy nodded her head. "We'll tell Bogo everything."

"Still," Nick continued as he sat down, his head resting on his paws. "At least we know what it is. At least we know that there's bad guys behind this. We can trust ourselves, for a start."

"Right," Judy said, only to pause. A new line of worry was suddenly coursing through her, and she couldn't help but step up to Nick and place one of her paws on his. "Nick… -are you okay?"

"Just…"

"If you want, I'll…"

"Sorry," he said, his head going up again. He paused, took a deep breath in, and she felt his paws tighten slightly around hers. "During the crisis, when we didn't know what was going on, when preds were going savage." He paused, a slight scowl appearing on his muzzle. "You were scared, and things were going wrong, things getting worse than you ever remembered. Yet you couldn't really blame them, could you? Preds were going savage. _You_ could go savage." There was a sigh, as he stood up. "The worst part was not being able to trust yourself. Worrying if there was something fundamentally wrong about your very self. Worst feeling in the world..."

Judy was about to speak, only for Basil to beat him to the chase. "You know, Wilde… This may be something completely different, but it might help… -There were a few weeks when I sort of felt the same way. I could crack any case, but there was something new and worrying going on with me, something that I couldn't fathom or get my head around." He paused, before looking over to Dave, the mouse having put his paw on his husband's. "I could solve any case, but not this one, and then the truth hit me. Took some time to accept, but I'm better for it now." He smiled, putting his paw on Dave's shoulder and nodding slightly.

Nick nodded too, accidentally shaking the pair and almost sending them crashing to the ground, though he didn't notice. "Thanks," he said, before looking to Judy. "As I said. We know what causes this now. We know it's not preds themselves. We know it's some jerk with a bunch of flowers."

"Yeah," Judy replied, firmly. "And we _will_ get them."

"Most certainly," Basil said out loud. "Nick, could you take us back into the store room. I'd like one last look around."

He nodded, and off he went with the two mice, leaving Judy with the store owner. She stood there, waiting for Catano, while thinking about Nick. About what he'd been through, both a long time ago and recently. About how she wanted to give him something to make him feel better about himself, maybe make up for those bad times in some way, all while working hard to seal this potential wound before it ever grew.

Wandering about, she paused in a certain corner, an idea hitting her. She turned to Mr Trottington and spoke quietly. "Mind if you keep this private?"

"Private?" He asked, before relaxing. "Well, I guess we all have our little secrets," he said, giving a quick wink. "Every mammal wants a place where they can be alone, don't they?"

Judy nodded in agreement. "Does catnip work on foxes?"

He paused, "some does, some doesn't… foxes that is, not the catnip." He walked over to the plant and pulled off a few leaves. "If you want to test some out, try this" he said, as he placed them onto a white plate, which a little dome was fixed to. Only half a buck."

Judy nodded, eagerly buying the leaves from him, then taking a quick look at them before stashing them away. In their container, they almost looked like features in a snowglobe. Regardless, she put them away in a pocket, just as Nick, the mice, and Kii arrived. The fox had a look in his eyes. "-I at least wait until I get home, Catnipo," he teased, looking at her and missing Judy's fist bump.

"I didn't realise it was there," she said. "Been ages since I got some."

"Me too…"

"-Regardless," she said, looking at the assembled mammals, we need to head back now. Fill in the chief about all we've seen. She turned to the shop owner and gave him thanks, before they all walked out.

It wasn't far to the Precinct, but the walk seemed long. In their quietness, the full sense of danger about what they'd discovered sunk in again. Their brief to Bogo was brief and simple, with no banter or joy, and he nodded. He phoned up the Mayor, advised Nick and Judy to be ready for a big briefing the next morning, before firmly saying that there was a lot of work to be done. More things to investigate, mammals of interest to find and interview, and so on. He gave a quick reminder that he'd remunerate the pair for their time, in the way they wanted, before waving them out.

They sat together in the alcove where Nick had told her his story before, and she said she had something for him.

"Oh my…"

"Yup," she said, handing him the catnip. He opened the top, quickly brought out a single leaf, and sealed the rest up again. He rubbed it along his chin, smiling. "That's the good stuff," he said, chuckling. "Can't wait to use the rest of it tonight."

"Well," Judy said. "Now I know it works, I'll get you a whole plant."

"Please don't…" he chuckled, all while rubbing the leaf into his face intently in a very comic display. "I have discovered this thing called productivity recently… And this stuff is the anti-that!"

Judy chuckled hard, before sitting up. "Tell me when you next have a long weekend," she said, before giggling as Nick let out a purr. "I'll get it then."

He just let off a few more purrs, as Judy smiled. "See you at roll call, Nick," she said, giving him a wink before heading off.

He kept on rubbing himself, only to pause as he saw Judy go. "Uh, fluff?" he asked, standing up. "You realise the lockers are the other way?"

She nodded. "I know, but… -well, with this new scare, I thought I could spend a few hours searching through the cams, seeing if they caught anything. Not like I'll do anything productive at home?"

"Oh," he said, putting his nip leaf away. He still rubbed his face a few times, but was happy to focus on her. "You don't have to."

"I know," she replied, honestly. "But I want to."

"Fair enough," he said, a paw coming up. "I guess, see you soon."

"See you soon, Nick," she said with a smile, as she went over to the desks. Sitting down at one, opening up the portal to the camera systems, she looked through. First order of business was finding which ones would actually be helpful.

She was a bunny who worried a lot. Why wouldn't she be? She knew what the first howler scare had done, how it had felt, and while this would likely be far less bad, that was still too bad. She could spare a few hours to help out.

To make the world a better place.

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Her ears lifted as she heard someone arrive and, looking up, she saw Nick peeking over the cubicle edge, dressed in his civilian clothes.

"I thought you said you were going home?"

"Did I say that?" he asked. "No, no I did not." He walked over to the desk next to hers, and placed a tray of donuts between them alongside his phone, which had a pair of earbuds plugged into it. "As long as I get my playlist, and all the blueberry jam ones, who cares about my life outside of work?" he teased.

Judy chuckled. "Thanks Nick," she said. "But you don't have to."

He put one earbud in his ear, the other offered and accepted by her, before sampling a donut. "I don't," he said. "But I quite like it here."

She nodded.

They fist bumped.

And, together, they set to work. Making the world a better place.

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**AN: This kind of thing was what I was imagining my series would mainly be made of. This is a larger one-shot, many will be smaller, but it has its own little story that works on its own.**

**The crew from the Great Mouse Detective are here, too! Now, when planning this series, I thought I'd have Basil and Dave as a couple in a tribute to Crewefox's fics. I also watched the film too, and throughout that… Well…**

**Imagine a line chart. X axis is where in the film you are. Positive on the Y axis is 'why can't two men being together just be great friends -ness', while negative is 'yup. They're great as a couple -ness'. Starting the film, it started slightly negative, and progressively rose and rose… -to the point where I was dead certain that they were best represented as good friends and colleagues…**

**Then, in the last minute, said line nosedived and is currently startling penguins off of the south east of New Zealand.**

**So yup. They're gay. Or rather… My headcanon is that Dave was always a very relaxed if not never really caring about it gay, and takes a long time to really warm up to any relationship. He's got a lot of relationship momentum, if you know what I mean, so he was a good friend with Basil, then appreciated him, and that slowly turned to love without him noticing it. Basil meanwhile was bi, first realised it with Dave (though he was very attached to him without knowing for a long time). Went through a bit of confusion, before coming out, Dave at that point feeling that a relationship might be a rather fine thing to try.**

**I decided to make this a 'Judy POV' chapter to try and give her a bit more characterisation. Out of the fab four (Nick, Jack, Skye, Judy) she's probably the least developed atm, and I wanted to give her at least some development. At least some POV things… I'll be trying to develop all four of them well and nicely going on. It'll take a bit of time to set them all up, but once they all are things should be great.**

**Kii Catano is an 'official fanon' character, designed by the creators after the film. She'll be more of a supporting character in series one than a main. Her personality, like Skye's and Jack's, is there to do what you like with it.**

**The next 'one'shot will be revisiting and diving into two mammals last seen in 'Different', and should be good fun. See you then.**

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The chief stepped out of his office. It had been a long and tiring day, briefing the mayor and the other emergency services. He did not want this whole horrible affair to be starting again, but he was confident that they'd hold firm. They'd stand their ground. Whoever this was, whatever their plans, they were going to end up behind bars.

He was sure of it.

He had the right tools.

The right mammals…

The right….

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He paused, thinking he could hear singing. He wandered over to the office cubicles, which should have been deserted at this time of night but were most definitely not. Two mammals were in here, and he groaned as he recognised the voices of the two in question. Turning a corner, and looming over them, he saw them both at a desk, both scanning through some jam cam footage, with a box of mostly eaten donuts between them. They were leaning in, like predators about to strike, as they fast forwarded through the recordings.

"Every breath you take," Nick sung.

"Every move you make…" Judy sung back.

"Every bond you make…"

"Every step you take…"

"I'll be watching you…"

Bogo turned and left them to continue their overtime machinations, smiling slightly as they carried on. Not due to their singing voices or perseverance to the duty, mind you.

He just liked the band for some reason.


	6. A-D-I-T-L-O Ash Fox & Kris Silverfox 1

**A day in the life of Ash Fox and Kristofferson Silverfox.**

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**AN: For those on Fanfiction, welcome back! **

**Now, first off, there's not one but two pieces of art for this chapter up on A03. One by Zeigelzeig, the other by myself, and as they're embedded in the text you may want to read this chapter over there.**

**Anyway, as I said before, we'd be returning to the Fox and Silverfox families and here we are! This is going to be a four chapter fic and about as slice as life as you can get, following the pair of young foxes on a (not quite) ordinary school day. **

**Can't be that interesting, can it?**

**Well, maybe at the end of this chapter you'll begin to see otherwise, XD. **

**This was a real treat for me to write, one of those times when the words just flow and flow, and I hope you all enjoy it to.**

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**Chapter 1**

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The shrill cries of an alarm clock pierced through the dreamy mist, breaking through the layers of clouding sleep like a silver ray of sun piercing into a black cave, before it became a blinding light. It went on and on, ringing and ringing, until a russet paw smashed down onto it, silencing it for good.

Ash Fox looked at it, his fussed up face most definitely unimpressed, even as the clock tumbled off the side of his bunk and hit the floor.

His scowl increased as it screamed out again, forcing him to slip out under his warm covers and slide down the bed's ladder. Picking it up, he placed it on his desk, under where he'd been sleeping, and made sure that it was off.

It was.

Good.

With a giant vulpine yawn, his mouth gaping open and his tongue coiling up, the young fox got to work. With just his striped boxers keeping him modest, and a pair of sweat bands on his wrists, he was feeling a slight chill in the air, even as his already puffy fur puffed up some more. There was only one solution for it. He jumped up, grasping his duvet, and hauled it off his bed and right on top of him, before wrapping it over his shoulders like a thick cloak.

And then swapping the side that was facing him.

He'd got the cold side the first time around. It always annoyed him when that happened, but no use getting all hung up about it. Pausing, he glanced over to an old cassette Walkmammal on his desk. Sure, he had his phone, but he'd found the thing in a store and had an odd fondness for it. He grabbed it and clicked it on, the kick of the live recording playing out with a flourish of drums and guitar.

_Monday Morning you sure look fine…_

He didn't, but then again it wasn't Monday morning.

_Friday I got travelin' on my mind…_

Walking forwards, he exited his room, stepping into a tight spiral staircase that linked the various floors of his house. All carved into an oak tree, he slept on the fourth of five floors, the one above him housing an empty guest room. Stepping down the stairs, his duvet dragging behind him, he passed the floor his parents slept on before taking an exit into the lounge. The room, varnished wood all around, was lit up harshly with the morning light. Still, it helped to wake him up a little. He was still rather groggy though; he'd rather be back in bed sleeping or relaxing, warm under his covers. He'd grown to savour that feeling of bliss more recently, taking it as one of the good things in life he could hold onto and enjoy, and it wasn't like he could do it all the time, especially as catnip didn't work on him.

_First you love me, and then you fade away…_

Still, it was a school day, so he had to go to school, even if he didn't really feel like it.

_I can't go on believin' this way…_

The front of the lounge opened up onto a mound of grassy earth that rose up to it, and at the back there was another storey still to go to ground level. There, through a door, was the family bathroom, right above the kitchen. After depositing his duvet outside the door, Ash sauntered into it. His mother was fine with him moving around with it like that, so long as he always put it back and made sure it didn't get wet.

_I got nothing but love for you…_

Inside the bathroom, he flinched slightly as his pads touched the cold tile floor. There was a toilet, a sink and a white bathtub, all linking to the exposed water pipes that ran up and down on one part of the wall. Ash hung his boxers up on one of the brackets that kept them all fixed together, before pausing.

_Tell me what you really want to do?_

Holding back.

_First you love me, then you get on down the line…_

Closing his eyes, pushing through the slight sense of nerves that filled him, he took off his sweatbands and hung them up too, before turning to the shower controls in the tub and turning them on.

_But I don't miiiind… I don't miiiind, Yeah!_

His parents often used the little shower in their private bathroom, so there was hot water in the pipe, and it quickly came through. Stepping into the tub, making sure to set an egg timer to five minutes and a second to fifteen, he pointed his muzzle up into the hot stream, smiling as the water dripped through and down his face, percolating to the skin below.

_I'll be there if you want me to,_

_No one else could ever do,_

_Gotta get some peace in my mind…_

He was certainly getting some of that, and his smile widened as he started tapping out to the tune. Taking the shower head, pulling it off its rest, he quickly got to work getting his fur all wet, before shampooing it. Soap suds covered him, and he managed to get them off just as the first timer rang.

He smiled.

Ten minutes of 'me time'.

Pointing his muzzle up, he let the hot stream run down it again, before opening his mouth and gargling, letting some of it flood in.

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A few short beeps of an alarm rang out, before being quietly silenced by a silver-furred paw. Sheet off of him, Kris shook his head slightly to clear the last vestiges of sleep. He'd probably been awake for five minutes at this point, though he didn't really know. It didn't matter that much, so the silver fox paid it no mind or hindsight. Instead he got up, made his bed by putting the pillows and his light sheet back in place, before stepping out into his lounge, a fur brush in his paw. Turning left, he opened a sliding door and stood out on the balcony, looking over the district below.

His father, Dr William Silverfox, had, on emigrating to Zootopia after recovering from his illness, wanted a place that would help with his health. There were still bits of healing to do, and he was still weak in places, something that a frigid dry air might make worse. So, when looking for a place to live, he'd focussed on the Rainforest District. After talking with Kris, he'd also made sure to find a place within reasonable distance of his son's new school. He'd already been torn from the school and classmates he'd known for much of his life, and his father wanted to prevent that from happening again. Thankfully, it was only a short rail trip and a bus transfer, little more than half an hour, to get to the school in Savannah Central where he went to from here.

Being at the edge of the Rainforest, with fantastic views over both the buffer area between the two Boroughs and of Downtown itself, alongside the great transport links to several major areas, the neighbourhood was very upmarket. If you weren't picky about your location, fox-sized housing was generally pretty affordable. His father had been picky, but he could afford it comfortably.

Kris could enjoy it too.

His flat, built into the corner of a large concrete tower that was sculpted like a cliff and pockmarked with clinging trees and vegetation, had both the best views out to Savannah Central one way, and of one of the Rainforest's major commercial areas the other. He looked over this view and relaxed. Lines of sky trams sailed over the canopy of the buffer area, ever constant, with a light rattle coming through now and again as each cabin passed over a particular tower. Sunlight poured down on the trees and woodland, and Kris turned a particular way, spotting the top of the tree that Ash lived in, far off in the distance. Turning back to the rainforest below, crowds were busy doing their thing. Flowing this way and that in chaotic order.

Sitting down on a soft mat, the silver fox unbuttoned his light blue pyjama top and placed it down beside him. His pyjama shorts were rolled up, and he began attending to his leg fur with a brush. He was already calm, but the sense of the repeating strokes made him more so. Working one leg methodically, and then the other, he crossed them lotus style before working on the top of his body. Arms, then torso, then around his head before going down his tail. All calm. All getting back in order. All soft and relaxed, Kris smiled as he placed down his brush and looked out over the commercial district.

Traffic went this way and that.

The sky trams rattle overhead, sending out a slow beat.

The odd songbird added to the tune, the lyrics to the backing track the city provided.

Everything calm.

Everything peaceful

Kris liked it like that.

He closed his eyes and let the few thoughts in him drift out completely. Though blind, he still knew what was going on out there. The rattling of awnings going up, mammals seeking cover and, on cue, the sound of the climate system's sprinklers began, drumming rain rattling out.

The air felt clearer and cooler, and Kris smiled.

Music in his ears, he felt like he was calmly sitting at the banks of a river of time. Under a tree. Serene and happy, content to watch it flow by.

.

.

* * *

.

.

A second egg timer ran to its end and a paw hit the shower controls hard, shutting it off. Ash picked up one of the timers, turning it to five minutes, before placing it down again. Making sure the shower curtain was secure, he began vigorously shaking himself off, droplets of water tearing off his fur and landing all around him. It got most of the wetness out, but not the damp, and he felt a slight shiver already.

Out of the bath, over to the fur dryer. It was a personal hand-held device scaled for something like a lion or a larger wolf, but it had been very cheap secondhand and it did the job. In any case, it wasn't like they had the space for a stand-in one. Making sure it was plugged in and grabbing the handles that they'd glued to its muzzle, Ash pulled back the fabric belt tied around the trigger and a rush of hot air was let rip, blasting up against the fur grain and down to his skin. He quickly got his wrists dried, placing his sweat bands back on as soon as he could, before he worked on the rest of his body. It was quickly dried down most of the way and, angling himself forwards, he let the blast of air push his fur down against his skin again. The last bits of moisture stuck it all back together before drying it out.

Off with the dryer, he grabbed an old hotel towel and used it to do the last bits of work before putting his boxers on again. A quick scan of everything and he pushed the remaining errant tufts of fur down as much as possible, before a single brush over quickly got it sort-of in line.

Brush down. Dryer back in its place. Ash gave himself a quick check in the mirror as the egg timer rang out again.

One side of his head was a bit bushy. Grabbing his comb, he made it wet before running it through a few times, solving the problem.

That just left an annoying puff of fur just below one of his elbows. Exiting the bathroom, picking his duvet up once more, Ash made his way back to his room, his face buried in his arm as he went. Tongue out, he gave the annoying bit of fur a good going over, even snaggling it with his teeth a few times, until it stayed put. Inside his room, duvet thrown back on his bed. Old boxers off and thrown into a drawer full of old clothes, he got out a new pair and put them on.

He grabbed some socks too. Most mammals went barepaw or, like Kris, chose to wear socks and shoes. Ash, meanwhile, liked the feel of socks on his feet, even more so than shoes, and so wore them often, even when outside. Coming home every day, his mother made him put his dirty pair into a bucket of water to soak them, helping to get the dirt out even before they went into the wash. Still, they were always stained. It didn't matter to him, though; he liked his socks.

Out came a pair of white joggers which he pulled on, tucking them into the socks. Then a chequered shirt with a collar. It was a grey with white and cream stripes, and he buttoned it up on him. He smiled, admitting that it did look nice and his mother had a point in buying it when she took him out shopping. Finally, a grey sweatshirt with a hood, which covered all of the shirt bar the tops of the collar. He liked the hood as it hung behind him, sort of like a small cape.

All sorted out, he began to make his way back down again only to pause, gulping.

One of his sweatbands was gone.

Looking around, a slightly frantic look in his eyes, he spotted it on the floor near his door and, on inspecting it further, he noticed a little tear in it. It must have caught on the door handle. "Don't do that," Ash scolded, as he placed it firmly back on his wrist.

He felt a sense of smartness with his new clothes, but he also felt lazy. He still felt a slight drag of sleep, wanting to pull him back, along with a general apathy to the day ahead. He felt irritated, and a bit moody.

Nothing too far out of the ordinary.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath in, filling his lungs with air as Kris had taught him to. He let it slowly filter out of his nostrils, before he repeated the whole thing. "Sweet things in life are worth enjoying," he parroted, "always go and enjoy them." It was some of Dr Amy's advice, and he followed it, going over to a fruit bowl on his desk and grabbing a kiwi fruit, slicing it open before digging into it with his teeth.

He liked kiwi.

Nice tasting fruit.

And it made him feel good as he ate it, exiting his room again and walking down the stairs.

.

.

* * *

.

.

Kris stood up as the rain ended before stretching out. Legs first, then his arms, wrapping them around the back of his head for some of his exercises. The stretching felt good, a mild warm glow where it pulled.

"Mind if I join you?"

Kris paused, before looking behind him and smiling. There, thin as a rake and with short, thin, dry fur, stood his father. There was a slightly aged look about his face, changed from the more learned one it had before his long illness. It filled Kris with a slight sense of melancholy, but that was pushed aside with happiness. He was with his father, and he loved that.

"Of course," he said, and they took up positions together. Kris only had the last few stretches to do in his routine and his father copied him. The younger fox looked on as, even with a slight strain or worried flick of his ear, his father was still able to bend his body as far as he could before. Kris pushed further, feeling the endorphin burn and feeling good to know that they could do this together again.

They ended together before he stepped back inside. Some toast was put into the toaster, while a saucepan of water was already at the boil, Dr Silverfox adding two eggs into it. He then brought out some jars of jams and uncovered the butter, before setting the table. The younger fox, meanwhile, was busy on the balcony. There were planters full of berries there, and a number of plants growing up among the vines that covered the building wall. Kris, his pyjama top back on, was looking around, picking up all the newly ripe berries and filling a small bowl just as the sound of the toast being ready rung out. Four pieces, two of which his father quickly buttered.

"What jam do you feel like today?" he asked.

"I was thinking redcurrant," Kris replied, as he came back in. "It's a bit of a contrast from what was ready." Placing the bowl down, it was mostly full of blackberries. There were a large number of strawberries that needed a few more days, and the same could be said for the raspberries. They'd had a lot of blueberries the day before, the poor bushes needing a bit of time to recover.

His father nodded, pushing the redcurrant jam over. He scanned around what was left for a little bit, before smiling. "Same reason I quite like the idea of some marmalade."

The pair spread their jams over the two pieces of naked toast before the older one took the jars back to their place. He then pulled out the eggs with a large slotted spoon, blasted them under cold water for a second or two, before placing both in an egg holder. Over they came, Kris thanking his father and cracking off the top with a spoon. The inside was nice and runny, orange yolk dripping off the bit of crust Kris had torn off and dipped in. He savoured it, alongside the fruit, and the jam on toast.

He savoured it all, especially the fact that he was sharing it with his father.

That was something so very worth savouring.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Morning guys," Ash said, as he opened the door to the kitchen diner on the ground floor of his house. He paused slightly as he only saw his father, currently at the stove and hovering over a big pan, which was spitting and hissing intently. Great smells were coming from it, but he couldn't help but notice that something was off. "Where's Mum?"

"Well," Mr Fox said. "Remember how she always comments about the meat I bring in from my jobs potentially not being that good?" he asked.

"Yes. And we ate a vegetable stew last night."

"And so it wasn't my meat that gave her her little stomach bug," he pointed out, finger going up in the air. "It was her own vegetables."

"Or the leftover gravy made from your meat that we used for it."

Mr Fox shook his head a little as he brought the large frying pan he'd been using into the middle of the table, placing it down on a mat. There were some large eggs (maybe goose?), plus some large bug sausages, some smoked turkey bacon rashers and fried bread. Ash smiled, his mouth getting watery slightly as he licked his chops. This looked and smelled good!

"We'll just plate you up," he said, getting a spatula out and doing so. "And, just to remind everyone here, everyone had the gravy when it was fresh, and we're all fine!"

Ash paid him no mind, instead thanking him for the food as it was dropped beneath him and taking a few deep sniffs. Out came his knife and fork, and he was soon digging right in. The dark and meaty, nutty flavoured, bug sausages soon got coated in warm yolk, and Ash eagerly began gobbling it all up. Stabbing bits with his fork, tearing with his knife. He'd poured some brown sauce onto his plate, and bits of that ended up staining the fur around his muzzle as he savagely devoured the hearty breakfast. "It's really good," he noted, through a full mouth.

Mr Fox, currently holding part of a sausage that he'd stabbed with his knife, smiled a bit. "Maybe I should do some more cooking."

"It would be appreciated," a third voice piped in, as Mrs Fox entered.

"You okay dear?"

"I'm fine," she said, her voice authoritative, as she sat down, gaining the last of the food. "We'll also need to teach you some healthier recipes," she said, pointing down at the meal in front of her.

"Remind me, whose meal last sent someone bending over the toilet?"

Her eyes narrowed a little, her tail swishing a few times. "I did hear your conversation," she said, before looking to Ash curiously. "How did you know it was the gravy in the stew?" she asked, curiously. "You weren't there when I cooked it."

This time, his eyes narrowed, before he rolled them. "It tasted like the gravy," he muttered out, irritated at the patronising treatment. "Gravy was in the fridge before, and it was gone after. I kind of figured it out."

The words fell harshly, and Mr and Mrs Fox looked at each other with a sudden sense of concern. The latter reached out, touching the shoulder of her son as he chewed vigorously, sending him flinching a bit.

"What!?"

She looked at him and sighed. "Ash," she said, deep concern in her voice. "Are you okay?"

"Yes Mum," he replied. "I'm fine, thank you." He then turned back to his food, eager to continue.

"Are you sure?" his father asked.

"Yes…"

"Are you certain?" they both said, their voices rising slightly.

"I. Said. Yes," he spelled out for them, turning to glare at both her and him.

She looked at him for a second and then sighed. "Sorry," she said, looking away. "You just seemed grumpy and moody, and as you know we're…"

"-Worried about me all the time as I tried to throw myself off a bridge," he interrupted, before sighing. "I get it… Can I please just eat my food in peace."

"If we can talk about this afterwards," she said. "Sure."

"Fine."

"Thank you."

.

.

"I like how you handled that," Mr Fox said, looking at his wife.

She nodded. "Guess he just wants to enjoy his food first."

"I'm here you know."

They looked at him for a few seconds, before he jumped off his chair and walked over to the bread bin, ready to hack a slice of bread off of the homemade loaf. It was a rough and ugly cut, producing a doorstop of a slice, and as he brought it off a few crumbs fell on the terracotta tiled floor. Sitting down again, he began mopping up the fat, oils and juices, before tearing off the saturated chunks of bread with his teeth.

"Anyone want orange juice?" Mr Fox asked, realising he'd forgotten it. His wife and son both nodded, so up he went, pulling the big bottle from the cupboard and pouring a bit into the bottom of three glasses. Blasting the tap water until it had cooled down, he filled them to the top, before planting the glasses at each of the table's places. Both his wife and son thanked him, the latter immediately downing half of his drink in one long gulp. Felicity meanwhile, half of her first turkey rasher still hanging out of her mouth, turned to her husband, her ears pricked right up.

"This tastes… unique."

He smiled. "Pepper and salt on the eggs, and I tried a bit of paprika and some chipotle chilli flakes fried in the fat."

"It's good, I…" She paused, sniffing and looking up at him. "You used goose fat for this instead of oil?"

"Finest goose fat from the finest geese," he said, smiling. "Only the best for my family." He leaned back in his chair, giving a wink, two whistles and two clicks of his tongue, in the way that made Ash's ears flicker slightly.

She frowned, but then smiled. "You'll be doing some more cooking," she said. "But not before I teach you some healthier recipes," she said, as she shovelled some more food precariously onto her fork.

"And I'll be fantastic at them," he said, smiling.

"I could be too…"

Mr and Mrs Fox both turned to Ash, who'd put his paw up as he piped up. He looked around a bit and shrugged. "What? Just saying." He then stood up, clear and polished plate in paw, and walked it over to the sink, though not before giving a few last licks of his tongue to get some last bits of sauce.

Mr Fox looked at his wife. "Might be a good idea. You remember what Dr Lupuleli said about including him in? Making him feel important."

She nodded back, before looking to her son. "I've got tonight sorted, but how about you cook for us tomorrow? I'll guide you through."

He looked at them, pausing, and shrugged. "Okay." He then left them, walking upstairs again to wash his face and clean his teeth.

Mrs Fox looked to Mr Fox and sighed. "I didn't get to talk to him."

"I can do that now," he replied.

"You know what's up?"

"I think I do," he said. "You were mothering him a bit too much."

"I'm his mother," she almost sassed back.

"I know," he said. "I think he just felt a bit… patronised. That's all."

"You think?" she asked, slightly indignantly, an eyebrow raised as she looked at her husband.

"I…" he began, before looking away and sighing. "He feels like a stranger sometimes. It's hard to know what's going on. I'm concerned too you know."

Her ears drooped badly, and she looked down, fussing the floor with her feet "I'm still worried that I'm getting things wrong," she said. She paused, as she felt a pair of arms wrap over her shoulder.

"I do too, dear. I do too."

"Go talk to him."

"I will," he replied with a nod, before heading up the stairs after him.

.

.

* * *

.

.

Fully dressed in some plain trousers and a light blue collared shirt, Kris finished his morning routine by brushing his teeth. He felt ready to meet the day ahead and, like always, was looking forward to it. He gathered up his books and files, placing them in a worn but well cared for bag. There weren't many tags or items sewn into it, but those that were on there were important and special. That was what mattered for him. There was a common saying that foxes were sentimental. That they liked collecting things. Mementos of certain times past, and of special memories. Kristofferson Silverfox was calm, he let the activities of the world float by him like a slow running river passing by his feet. But he was a fox. He was deeply sentimental. He rubbed some of the tags on his bag hard, before turning to a picture on his bedside table. It was him on his third birthday, snuggled up under the chin of a well built, deep red furred vixen.

Her name was Rosalind Silverfox.

She was his mother.

She died not long after that day from heart failure, brought on by undiagnosed high blood pressure.

He had but one memory of her. A bedtime routine. The night had been cold, snow falling deeply around. Peering out of the window, his night vision had let him watch the ships sailing up and down the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, amongst the ice drifts, as if they were the most magical things in the world.

His mother had stroked him, telling him it was time for bed, and he'd excitedly gone after the things he needed. A stuffed toy who he loved to snuggle, his fur brush, and a book. He'd placed them down in his bedroom and she carried him, fussing his ear, into the bathroom. She'd helped him clean his teeth, stepped out while he went to the toilet, before joining him in his bedroom. He remembered her letting him pick out a blue sleeper with snowflakes on it, before telling him how proud she was that he'd been getting through the night dry. He remembered being proud, feeling very mature, all the way back then, no matter how dumb it felt now. They'd read the book called 'little foxes' together and then she helped him undress before laying him over her lap. Brush in paw, but mostly using her tongue and teeth, she'd groomed him while kissing him and telling him that she loved him. He'd drifted off there, with her, and she'd then drifted out of his memory all together.

He'd been almost three then.

It was a few years later when what had happened really hit home. He'd known about his mother being gone, of course, and he'd known that there was someone dear missing from his life. He had known about death, in that censored way little kits did.

But it was as he held that picture of him and her, remembering that one precious little recollection that he had, that the full weight of the truth had collapsed onto him. He wasn't much of a crier, then or now, but it had hurt, and he had come so very close to breaking down back then. Holding that picture to his heart, knowing with finality that he'd be without her forever and ever and ever, as his attempts to focus on something just ended up with him staring sadly at the floor on the verge of tears.

.

.

...

Kristofferson Silverfox was a sentimental mammal. Almost a decade later, he stood as he had done then, but looked at his mother's image with a smile on his muzzle. He gently booped her nose with his own before turning back to his bag. Everything was in order, and he let his thumb pad drift over the Canidean flag that had been sewn on, over a tag of a snarling silver fox that was nearby, before letting it rest on a small metal badge, showing the Zootopian flag.

Pulling the bag up, he left his room, ready to go out for a new day. He paused, though, as he saw his father. He walked over to him, and held him tight in a hug, an act that was reciprocated.

"Have a good day," his Dad said.

"I will," Kris replied, as he exited the flat.

Dr William Silverfox smiled. Things were back in order. Things were fine. Things were good. It was 8 O'clock, and all was well in the world.

.

.

* * *

.

.

Washing his face, cleaning his teeth, Ash tidied himself up and exited the bathroom, only to see his father waiting in the lounge. "Hi," he said smiling. "Mind if do a walk and talk with you?"

The younger fox paused, not sure what was going on, or why his father was acting different. Still, it was probably out of concern for him, so he chose to react warmly. "Sure."

"Great," he continued, "though on the stairs, it'll be walking behind you. Or in front of you. Your call."

Ash looked at him as he walked passed, before giving a little wave. Mr Fox followed, clearing his throat. "Do you like people telling you things you already know?"

"No," he replied. "I already know them."

"Right, and do you like people asking the same question over and over, even though you've already given the answer?"

"No."

"You also don't like it when mammals ask stupid questions that seem to belittle you?"

They reached Ash's landing, and the younger fox turned to his father and shrugged before speaking. "No. Who does?"

There was a pause, and Mr Fox leant forwards, putting his paw on Ash's shoulder. The young fox's eyes slowly traced down to look at it, like it was a really odd thing, before he relaxed slightly. A tiny smile appeared on the end of his muzzle, and one of his paws went up to touch his father's shoulder. "What's this for?" he asked, a hint of happiness in his voice. However odd this bit of affection was, Ash was enjoying it. It was nice. It was good.

"I'm just wondering why you reacted badly to your mother trying to do the same thing?"

"Same thing…?" he pondered, before trailing off. "You mean at the table?"

"Yeah."

"I was busy eating. Your food was nice. I wanted to finish it."

Mr Fox chuckled a little, before sighing. "Ash, I know that you know that we're concerned for you. We deeply care for you, both before your… _-incident_, and after. The thing is, we didn't see what you were going through before, and we're really trying, okay? We really are."

He nodded. "I know. But could you maybe not ask so many dumb questions?"

"We, well…" Mr Fox began, before sighing. He turned around, sitting down on the steps, before gesturing for Ash to sit beside him. There was a slight pause, before the younger fox did so. A larger paw found its way around a smaller paw, and Mr Fox carried on. "Truth be told, neither of us know what's going on in your mind. If you're happy, sad, afraid, grumpy…" He turned to his son and their eyes met, and he felt his paternal fondness for Ash grow. He was his son. To stand by. To protect. To love. And love him he did, even if things got lost in translation. "Truth be told, I have no idea what's going on in there," he said, lightly tapping Ash's head. "But we do worry, and we want to make absolutely sure that you're okay. That you're enjoying life. That we're treating you right."

"I am enjoying life," he said, looking away. "I'll… I'll tell you if I'm not. I promise."

"Please tell us whatever you feel," Mr Fox said. "And if you're angry with us, or just want to chain cuss…" He paused, smiling wide and happy as he heard a little guffaw come from his son. "How about you just come to us. Ask if it's okay to offload. And then do so. Please, don't bottle in any bad things anymore, okay?"

"Yeah," Ash said. "Okay. That sounds fair."

"And be kind to your mother, she does care for you," he carried on. "She's just looking out for you."

"I know…" Ash replied, rolling his eyes as a hint of irritation returned to his voice.

"Okay. I'll stop now," Mr Fox said, standing up. He turned to go back downstairs, only to pause as Ash spoke out, looking out of his room.

"Just to let you know. I'm mainly grumpy as it's the morning," he said. "Mornings are dumb. They suck. I feel grumpy. If you're going to poke me with a stick, try not to do it in the mornings? In the afternoon, I'd probably find it funny. Maybe… -You're still poking me with a stick at the end of the day."

"I'll pass that on," Mr Fox said, as Ash returned to his room. He smiled, before winking and giving two quick whistles and two quick clicks with his tongue. He'd talk with Felicity about this, and he had a good feeling that they'd be able to work something out.

Inside his room, meanwhile, Ash got his bag ready and left. He knew his parents meant well, but he didn't like mornings, and could they just let him get past that? He still felt tired and grumpy, and that meant he just wanted to do the motions as painlessly as he could. He did love them. Once he woke up, he knew he'd think of them better, and he'd be happier around them. Enjoying being with them, and appreciating the time spent. He felt he'd feel good helping his mother cook, too.

Just avoid the mornings.

Mornings sucked. He wished there was a pill he could take to make them not do so, but scientists hadn't found it yet.

Moving downstairs, he wandered through the kitchen, pausing as he saw his mother there. She turned to face him and smiled. "Have a good day."

"Thanks," he said, before looking away slightly and rubbing the side of his muzzle. "You too… -And sorry."

"Thank you," she said, and he smiled as he heard the relieved tone her voice took on. "In a mood?"

Part of him felt like barbing out, but he kept it under control. "It's called 'morning'" he said. "I just talked to Dad about all that stuff, and I need to go now."

"Right then," she replied, feeling better. "I'll talk to him."

"Sounds good," he replied, walking out the door. "Have a good day."

"You too dear!"

"I'll try…"

.

He would.

He would try. He was always trying, mostly succeeding, and it felt good. It felt good…

A new cassette went in his walkmammal, and he pressed play to start the song. A light tapping came out, then the bass line and the drums. He carried on, walking over to one of the sheds, and he pulled out his bike and climbed on just as the first lyrics hit.

_Well I… -Won't back down…_

_No, I won't back down._

_You can stand me up against the gates of hell,_

_but I… -won't back down._

His ears tilting back, he set off fast, racing down the drive.

_No, I'll… -stand my ground,_

_Won't be turned around,_

After that he'd go along a lane, and then onto a scenic walkway that took him up to the edge of Savannah central. From there, there was a path by the side of a drainage channel which would lead him to school.

_And I'll keep this world from dragging me down,_

_Gonna, -stand my ground,_

_-And I… -won't back down…_

He felt good riding, the wind whipping into his fur. He felt great as he went down the hill his house was on, excited as the adrenaline pumped through him. Life was good, and, like usual, his morning blues were starting to fade fast, just as the song kicked off.

_(I won't back down…) Heeey… Baby,_

_There ain't no easy way out…_

_(I won't back down…) Hey… I will… stand… my… ground…_

_And I… won't back down…_

.

.

* * *

.

.

Stepping out of the station, Kris walked up towards his regular bus stand. There was always a little variance as to when it came and, if there was to be a least favourite part of his journey, then this would be it. Oddly enough, there were more mammals standing around than normal, though he guessed that was due to a line closure or something that he'd heard about, taking place on another part of the network.

More mammals joined him, most smaller, some larger, though he didn't really mind. It didn't take long for the bus to turn up and for mammals to start filing in. Swiping his transit card, he walked down, his balance adapting instantly to the motion of the vehicle as it set off. There were large seats of varying sizes, from massive to large, for larger mammals, with similarly diverse seating areas for smaller ones beneath, semi-caged in for safety. Some of the under-seating areas would be large enough for him, but they all seemed full. Looking around though, he did spot a larger seat that was available, if a bit large for him. Walking over, he placed his bag down before putting his paws on it, the seat about level with where his bellybutton was. Thankfully the protective cages for the mammals underneath also functioned as ladders of sorts, and he found it easy enough to climb up before pulling his bag up onto his lap and sitting down.

Right next to a hyena wearing a green jacket over his white shirt and red tie, alongside a pair black trousers.

That wouldn't be anything out of the ordinary, but Kris couldn't help but feel a strange sense of deja vu. He couldn't tell why, the hyena seemed fairly normal bar one unusual feature, a set of very noticeable snaggle teeth. Three of them in fact, sticking out from his lower jaw and pushing up, over and above his upper lip. The fox looked away politely, knowing it would be unfair to bring attention to it.

.

…

"Huh? Is that the Canidean flag?"

Kris' ears rose sharply, and he turned to look at the hyena.

"Your bag," he said. "The flag, you're from Canidea, right?"

"Uh… -Yeah!" Kris replied, smiling happily. His tail wagged behind him a bit, and he showed off the tags on his bag, tapping the red paw flanked by two red stripes. "I moved over about eight months ago," he said, happily. "From Prince Edward Island…" his paw moved over to the hockey playing silver fox, tapping at it.

The hyena nodded. "Hmmmm…. They have lots of silver foxes there, don't they? Something like a colony that was set up by them or something?"

Kris thought back to his history lessons and the stories his father told proudly, his eyes lighting up. "It was more that a very large royal house settled there after being exiled, and prompted many of us to join them. There's lots of foxes there regardless. I mean, ten percent of the population are silvers like me, ten percent other red fox morphs… Then you have the ten percent preds, with the rest prey."

"That sounds nice," the hyena said, almost a little wistfully, before he gave some light chuckles. "My species doesn't really have a place like that to call our own. Not that I'd go there! I mean, I do quite like it here in Zootopia."

"Me too," Kris replied. He looked away, his mouth pulled to one side a little in thought. A small flash of sadness flowed through him, and he sighed. "But I do miss my old home."

"I can imagine…" There was a pause, and a little laugh. "Though I'd probably be miserable, I hear it gets really cold there and all. Not my kind of climate!"

Kris paused, his slow flowing stream of thought briefly muddied. "If you've got decent fur, it's not that bad," he said, and he meant it. Sort of. Even now, he grew long winter fur which, combined with some decent winter clothing, kept you warm. He'd been to Tundra Town in the winter, which was colder, and he'd been okay…

Then again…

"I mean," the hyena carried on, "I've just got over a nasty case of pneumonia. Don't wanna go tempting fate..."

Kris froze, a sudden shiver of fear running through him. Memories flashed, a terrible chill spreading through the young fox's body. His ears rung with the sadistic whip cracking ice. Of his father's dreadful scream as he went under, and of his own yell as he threw down his fishing equipment and raced to help. He felt the ice burn on his paws and arms as he flung them into the scalding cold water, to try and drag his father out, all the while terrified of suffering the same fate. He remembered his father smothering and rolling himself in snow, as trained, to whisk away as much of the water as he could, to try and keep himself warm. But how could he be warm if the snow was so cold? The water was worse though, daggers and daggers of cold cutting into his arms in vengeance and fury before he did the same thing to them that his father did to his whole body. He'd shivered, gritting his teeth from the still terrible pain, as he and his father had gone back home. A hot bath had been run while they waited in the roaring fur dryer, even as they both shook and held in the tears, waiting to be able to immerse themselves and drive away the tyrannical chill…

That should have been the end of it, but it wasn't over…

As then the coughing had started, and then the wheezing, and him calling the ambulance as his father began dying in front of him. How his guide and mentor, the mammal he loved more than any other, ended up as a living corpse in a hospital bed. Machines breathing for him, drug after drug poured in to fight the infection, which had waited for its chance to dive in and start tearing and destroying him from the inside out. Waging war and winning, his father and himself powerless to resist. He remembered his father rendered unable to move, struggling to speak, a stranger… And he remembered being afraid, and then sent away to family he'd never met before, to look after him until his father finally recovered.

Or forever, if…

If that haunting ghost of an image would be the last he ever saw of him. Just another memory, like that of his mother…

"-Hey. Kitto?"

Kris snapped out of it, looking up at the hyena.

"You feeling okay?"

"I," Kris began, before he looked down at himself. He realised he'd been silent, staring off into the distance while his fur stood up on end. It had only been for a few seconds, but… "My father fell into a pond last winter, caught pneumonia. It took him months to recover," he said, looking up at the hyena.

"-Uh… -Oh gosh, I'm so sorry," he stammered out. He took a breath in and out before looking away, paw on his face as he shook it. "Tchh… Here I was, feeling sorry for myself for being in a hospital for a week. I do hope he's better."

"Mostly," Kris replied, feeling a bit better himself. "The whole accident was why I moved over to Zootopia in the first place, to be with family. My aunt and uncle looked after me, until my father was well enough to come over."

"Aaawww," the hyena cooed. "Well that's just nice. I like a happy ending!"

"Yeah," he said, a sense of relief in his voice. Everything was calming down again, easing out. He had his father back. Life was good. "-Anyway, I need to get off soon. But thank you for the chat. It was nice."

"Oh… -uh, You too!" the Hyena replied.

Kris nodded, and then grabbed his bag and made his way to a door. It opened up, he jumped off, and then walked the last little bit. He saw his school up in front of him and, his ears perking up as he heard a ring, he saw Ash ride past on his bike. He'd taken his hoodie off and tied the arms around his upper body, so the rest of it flowed like a cape behind him. Catching up, Kris watched his cousin lock his bike in place and then turn to him, his mouth rhythmically panting as he cooled himself down.

"Morning," Kris said with a smile.

"You… Too…" Ash said between pants, as they walked in together, ready to start the day.

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**AN: The Aggretsuko one-shot IS coming... But I thought I'd throw you guys another bone, XD. Hang on in there!**

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I put a lot of work into them, so dropping a comment (even a little one) is always super appreciated and puts a big smile on my face. Thanks, and looking forwards to next time.**


	7. A-D-I-T-L-O Ash Fox & Kris Silverfox 2

**Chapter 2**

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**An: This chapter includes some big shout outs to some other fanfictions by some awesome people. Which ones? Well, you'll soon find out!**

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Woodland Grove High happened to be one of the more reputable schools in Zootopia. Maybe not the creme de la creme, but not one that any reasonable mammal would disparage. It served a northern segment of Savannah Central, alongside most of the hinterland between that district and the rainforest. Bordering said area, it had access to extensive playing fields, and happened to have a variety of well performing sports teams, the Whackbatt one chief among them. It was here that Ash Fox had been learning for close to three years, and Kris Silverfox for the best part of one.

Both of them entered their form room together, joining a bunch of other mammals who'd already arrived. Looking around, Ash spotted that the usual table that he sat at was free and quickly made his way over, Kris in tow. The room itself was a science lab, large, spacious, light and airy, and the pair sat down on a round table with gas taps and plugs set in the centre console. Adjusting their stools, both so they could get on in the first place and then so that they could reach the table, they looked at each other and nodded.

They had ten minutes.

Time for some very important discussions.

Ash emptied a folder out of his bag first, before pulling out some mind maps and rough sketches. Most of them featured little cartoons or basic abbreviations that would only be recognisable to those familiar with the pair's published comic.

Two of those mammals was just arriving.

"Working on the grand finale?" one of them asked. A wolf, Remmy Packson. He jumped up straight onto his stool, letting it spin around a bit.

"The bit before the grand finale," Ash clarified, rather proudly. "Which is even more important."

"No it's not," the other new arrival, Remmy's brother Remus, interrupted. "The big finale is the bit where everything goes nuts! Where we finally get the big battle!"

Remmy agreed. "You two get to do another of your big fight scenes," he said, relaxing back a bit. "And you know how awesome they are."

"We haven't got to this fight scene yet," Kris noted, looking over his notes. "I had a few ideas though, about how it could play out. How it could go down." He paused, smiling. "I was reading this translated book of eastern legends a while back, and a few of them gave me ideas which could be unique. Some fit quite nicely with what we've set up."

"Cool", another voice added. The four predators looked over to see three other mammals moving over. One was a Scottish wildcat, Mitch Dewclaw; one was a sheep, Maisy Calrama, and the last was a wombat, Jenny Bourke. It had been Jenny who spoke, and she leaned over and looked in, only for Ash to protectively gather up his notes. "No spoilers," he warned, before Jenny backed off.

"Yeah," Mitch said, chuckling as he looked over. "I don't want to know what happens to my character."

"Speak for yourself," Maisy replied, giving the small feline a dismissive pat on the head, eliciting a growl.

Kris looked at both and shrugged. "To be honest, we're still working out the details," he replied. It was a half-truth. Ash would often shoot out bold ideas, some hitting, some not, while Kris came up with the longer and deeper context. They'd work together to fuse their ideas and bring something about from it. They had many potential plans for the finale, which was still a few months away from the hand in date for the magazine they published to. They just needed to mash it all together, the aim of today's work.

"Listen, my character is going to be fine," Mitch assuaged. "At the end of the story, he'll fight on the side of the hero association, for truth and justice, no matter what!"

Ash gave Kris a look, and Kris gave Ash one. This would be good. They'd included various characters based off or conceived by their friends. Come the ending, there'd be a 'little bit' of a disagreement, and the wildcat had just confirmed which side he'd be on.

"How do you know your character will be okay?" Maisy queried.

"He just will be," Mitch boasted, before turning to the two foxes. "Anyway, you'd better get going with that finale."

"Pre-finale," Ash clarified.

"Right. Whatever. Get that done so we can get to the good bit!"

Ash's ears went back a bit. "I'll spend my time on it. I think I prefer the bits before and after the big fight to the big fight."

"But why?"

The red fox shrugged. "You get everything winding up beforehand, all while waiting for it to get going. Then you get everyone picking up the pieces after. I like seeing those bits."

"Which was why I was thinking," Kris began, holding his paw up as he spoke to his cousin. "We try a tragic structure for the finale arc."

"Tragic structure?"

Kris nodded. "It's…" He began, about to describe it as the plot structure Sheepshear used for many of his works, such as _Romeo and Juliet_, and which would allow the things Ash liked to be fully integrated, only to be interrupted by a smooth yet arrogant voice.

"The perfect description of you. Isn't it, eyelashes!"

Ash's ears folded down, and he turned to glance at a thick set woodchuck who'd just arrived. "Shut up, Beavis," he scolded, turning back to the table and hoping he'd go away.

He didn't.

"Oh boo-hoo," he mocked, paws on his hip. "That crying is just your oestrogen shot talking."

Kris looked at him harshly. "That doesn't even make any sense."

"Yes it does! He's a girly wimp, and he's finally decided to turn into one, but the girly stuff he sticks in himself is making him moody like a girl! Isn't that right, eyelashes?"

The red fox in question closed his eyes, breathed in, and slowly let it out through his nose. He held his index finger claws against his thumb pad, just as Kris had taught him, and tried to let it all go over his head.

"Didn't you hear? Or is it your…"

He was cut off as a red paw touched onto his shoulder, making him pause. There were six preds in this form: the two fox cousins, a third fox, the two wolf brothers and Mitch. There was also the prefect, a certain red fox in her last year who helped out with this form, and she was not happy.

"Uh… -Hi Brittany… I totally wasn't insulting foxes."

"What about a fox, singular?" Kris asked.

"Uhhh… Arguably, Ash isn't…"

"Gah…" the older vixen cursed slightly, as she glared at him. "Just leave him alone. It's not funny." He nodded, before walking off, Brittany still glaring at him. "Grrrrrr…. He needs to be taught a lesson," she muttered, her ears going down as she saw the form tutor arrive. "Maybe it would have been better to wait just a bit, and…"

"No worries," Ash replied, looking at her and smiling a bit. While they were both red foxes, they both had odd things going on with their fur. He had his eye markings and she had flowing blonde hair. It was an odd, unspoken and undiscussed, kinship, but he felt it.

"Thanks," she sighed, before glancing back at him. "But I'd love to catch that jerk red pawed." She paused, and then looked over at the pair. "How's the comic going?"

"Very well thanks," Kris replied. "You'll be having a good go in the finale."

"Sounds awesome," she replied, a big grin on her face. "My sister loves it when the comic comes in," she chuckled. "Loves that her big sister is a superhero. Takes the comics to show and tell and everything!"

"Happy to know she's a fan," Kris replied.

"Nice," Ash added.

Brittany nodded, before pausing. "You're all here, I better get going," she said, before heading off to count off another table.

They didn't have much time left, so Kris and Ash packed up, ready to head off to their first lesson. "I'd never take a hormone shot," the latter grumbled, before shivering. "_-hate needles…_" As they finished up, their form tutor spoke up.

"We'll be having a full school assembly in the fourth period," he said, the students pausing, looking at him in confusion. "I'm not at liberty to say what it's about yet, but form period will be present as usual after, and it'll be open for any discussions you want about the topic in question."

The mammals at the tables looked at each other in confusion, various rumours spinning around about what it might be for. Neither Ash or Kris knew, and they didn't have a chance to discuss as they went off to their separate maths lessons.

They could only wonder.

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Kris found himself in math's set one. The highest of the five streams, and one of the two that taught advanced maths. He enjoyed the lesson, given that most things came rather easily to him. Instructions were being given on quadratic equations, in particular the route of the square method. Described in detail, he understood it well enough, and was soon given a list of formulas up on the board to work through. Pencil to paper, they fell one after the other and, by the end of the lesson all were done with some time to spare. He thought, briefly, about asking for their homework assignment early, so that he might make a start.

He decided against it though.

No-one else would ask, and it felt quite odd to do so, so he set his pencil down and relaxed.

Waited.

Calmly let the last few minutes tick away as the teacher finished taking questions and then handed out answers. He'd made a silly error on one question, but no biggy.

Soon, the class winded down, the teacher handed out some textbook questions as homework, and off Kris went.

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Ash, meanwhile, worked hard through his maths lesson. He was near the top of the class, which he enjoyed, though he was only in set three. That meant he was one of the highest students in his year who didn't do advanced maths. He'd started the year in set two, which did do the extra work, but it had been a bit too much for him.

Regardless, he preferred being a big fish in a small pond, and it wasn't as if he'd actually _use_ differentiation and all that stuff taught higher up.

On that day in particular, he was studying some exercises with compasses. Using them to help with geometric shapes, such as letting him draw a perfectly perpendicular line through another, or finding the centre of a triangle.

It was a fun lesson, though the teacher confessed as much, saying that it was a highlight of the curriculum.

There was also some feedback on some previous homework. Algebra equations.

He'd found them a bit challenging, with some he'd ended up guessing at after skipping around this way and that. But he'd managed them eventually, and found to his pleasant surprise that he'd got fifteen out of twenty.

Not too bad.

He'd then left that lesson for the next. Rather than the full hour, it would just be thirty minutes, and he wondered again what this sudden assembly could be for. Often, with the whole school ones, given on Mondays and Fridays, he got the sense that the staff struggled to find something to fill the time, yet now they had something big.

This whole thing was very strange.

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Religious studies was still taken with the whole form group together, so Kris and Ash found themselves sitting together again. They also happened to have the third and final fox in their class on their table too.

"Morning Agnes," Kris said, smiling as the pretty spotted vixen sat down next to him. Her fur was a light, dusty, almost straw like orange, and fawn like spots dappled the bridge of her muzzle.

"Morning Kris", she replied back, greeting him with a smile as she turned to him. She paused, looking past the silver fox, to the vulpine on his other side. "Hi Ash."

"Hi," he replied back, slightly coldly. He wasn't uncivil to her, they'd worked together on school projects recently, but still… He'd always felt a bit salty, no matter how many other times mammals brought out the 'you're better off without her' line.

Her ears folded back a bit and she looked back to Kris, who smiled. She smiled back.

Ash ignored them, bringing out his book as he got ready for the next lesson, only for his chair to jolt slightly as a mammal sat next to him, completing the row of four. Looking over, he groaned as he saw the new arrival.

"Enjoying the love birds?" Beavis asked, a happy look on his face as he ribbed Ash slightly. The red fox closed his eyes, tilting his muzzle open as he took in a deep breath. "-Enjoying the sound of love in the air…"

"At least a mammal happily dated me once upon a time," he muttered, before glaring at the chipmunk. "That's a better record than you have."

Beavis paused for a second, before his face winced up into a rage and his paw darted for his ruler, only to freeze as the door opened. The teacher had arrived and everyone, even Beavis, knew not to mess with him. There was the fact that he was an African Elephant bull to start with, the deputy head second, but what really sold it was his presence. You felt it when he was in a room, and any thought of mischief was always second guessed. He was an old school teacher, with old school lessons and an old school attitude to troublemakers. Something that Ash felt very grateful for indeed.

The class stood up for him, before sitting down again as he gave them a quick nod. His trunk pulled out a table projector and a large pack of acetate sheets, each carefully detailed with artwork. He looked to the class and spoke. "Given the change in routine today, I'll be rushing through this lesson. No discussions. Questions and answers will be brief. Make notes. Pay attention."

A number of mammals in the class nodded, while all of them prepped their pens to note down details. The teacher meanwhile pulled out one of the sheets and placed it on the projector. The artwork was painted onto the whiteboard, with a variety of different components being shown. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"We've been following the spread of Islamb so far, including the taking of the holy lands in the crusades. The big prize after this though was Constantinople. Not a religious target, as the holy land was, but rather one of pure strategic, status and wealth value." He paused, checking that notes were being taken, before carrying on. "Much resistance came to their northward expansion though. From the crusaders, from the Byzantine Empire, alongside a small and notable people. A specific race of hares."

His trunk reached out and pointed at a set of sandstone rock spires, drawn onto the bottom of the projection, and with intricate buildings built in. "During my travels in Pawasian minor, I spent a while in Cappadocia. It's a region near impenetrable to attackers, criss-crossed with sharp sandstone spires and mazes of valleys. Houses are built into the rock, and the mammals live simple lives as herders, farmers and tradesmammals." There was a pause, as he then pointed to a drawn picture of a group of hares in armour. "I also encountered many Owsla brigades," he stated. "The standard encounter would see a group of these hares, about half a dozen usually, come up to me, ask me a few questions about what I was doing, and then send me on my way. It was quite worrying at first, being accosted by a group of kilted bunnies with assault rifles, and having them grill me quite severely. Never aggressively though. But very cautious, very wary, and, in discipline, very marshal."

Ash kept on taking notes, not sure where this was going. Looking down, his brow furrowed as he saw that, as his paw travelled across the words he'd just written, they were smudging the ink. One of his ears gave an irritated flick, and he moved said paw down, to try and stop it from carrying on.

"-These were the Efrafan hares," the teacher continued. "And, long before the development of modern recoilless rifles, they were proof that well equipped small mammals could match larger ones in combat. They were bred as a warrior slave race thousands of years ago, before rebelling and becoming their own people under Woundwort the first, back in the time of Alexander the Great. A warrior race, ex-slaves, it is therefore understandable that they have a lingering caution about outsiders."

He paused, checking that notes were being taken, before carrying on. "While closely allied with the Byzantine empire, they had free reign to pursue their own faith. This is the subject for today, though we'll only go into it briefly. The same way we covered Shinto during our talk on Buddhism. The Lapine faith, split between the Efrafans and the Lapino's, is likely one of the oldest ones still present. Kept alive by the warrior culture of the original people, though embraced to a greater extent by the Lapino breakaway group. Most importantly, it has no connection to the 'Shepherd' faiths. No link to Abraham, Isaac or Ishmael, or the holy city."

He moved his trunk, pointing at a sun up at the top of the projection. "Like many old religions, they believe in a sun god. Although, in reality, describing their lord as such is a gross simplification. They call him Frith, which does translate to and shares the same name as the sun. Imagery depicting him usually just depicts him as the sun as well, and there is no other visual representation. If you remember the representations of the Christian god as a burning bush, then you have an idea as to the relationship. They are monotheistic as such and, while they don't have a prophet, they have an origin story for the world."

Ash looked up, as the teacher's trunk pointed to a drawn cave drawing of a running rabbit. Just a shadow, or silhouette, but ragged and fast even so. A glance over, and he rolled his eyes, seeing that Kris was sketching down the images as well, able to do reasonable copies even in a rush. A glance the other way showed Beavis doing a crude cartoon of a dead bunny, annotated with the words 'dumb.'

"In my travels," the teacher continued, gesturing back to the drawings, "I remember that a bell and a scream would often go off. The hares would run for cover and, as is natural," he carried on, a smile on his face. "I thought it was a good idea to seek it too." He paused, going over to a whiteboard and drawing a crude elephant. "There was a problem though, in that the largest residences tended to be for camels." He drew a camel sized house and pointed to it and himself, noting the slight geometry issue. There were a couple of chuckles from the class, before he grabbed his pen again. "Another problem was that, even if I did squeeze in, the place was already taken." He then drew a whole bunch of bunny figures inside the house, drawing new chuckles. "Though even getting there was an issue." He then drew a whole bunch of bunnies crowding around himself, bringing more laughter. "I got used to it after the third time…"

Ash cackled out, trying to stifle his laugh. He recovered, as did everyone else, as the lecture continued.

"That bell was a warning signal for non-sentient birds of prey or reptiles," he explained. "In the past, there were also the conquering armies, and, before that, the savage mammalian predators of the ancient ages." Ash ignored a heavy nudge from Beavis, and carried on listening. "The world was dangerous for them, so it fitted into their origin story," he explained, walking back to his projection and pointing at the rabbit drawing again. "El-ahrairah, prince of a thousand enemies. If you remember the Garden of Eden story, mammal-kind lived in bliss before they ate the apple of truth, becoming aware of their and the worlds true nature. In the Efrafan stories, the prince ignored Frith's requests to stop siring so many offspring, and in return leant the mammals and animals of the world the means to hunt and kill them." There was a pause. "In return though, the prince gained foresight, and swift legs and keen ears to detect and run from prey. Suffice to say with the Efrafans, they turned that advice on its head."

A map was included, showing Pawasia Minor, and the teacher gestured to Byzantium, up in the top left. "The church was a master at bringing smaller religions into its fold. Unlike with Hinduism where your god, including Christ himself when St Thomas preached on the sub-continent, became a god themselves, or at least an aspect of the true god, the church incorporated older pagan gods as patron saints. There is no saint El-ahrairah. The Efrafans fought off invaders from north and south and, to this day, have one of the largest of the last remaining species specific religions. Their safety was forever granted after their forces assisted the old empire against the joint Ottoman and Cossack invasion. According to stories and history, a young Efrafan Ostrich herder proved decisive in forcing the great Horse Lord Gabrielli the Thunderer to turn back."

There was a pause.

A glance up at the time. Not long left.

"There is a notable difference between the two branches of the faith, Lapino and Efrafan" he continued. "Both believe in an angel of death in the form of a black rabbit. 'Inle-Ra'. Who takes the dead forwards to the next life. In Lapino communities, he or she is the only agent of this. The more martial Efrafan's though believe in something else." He turned back to his drawings on the board.

"As I said, wild predatory birds are still a blight. More so in past times when arrows were less common than modern guns are today. Many older religions included a demon in the form of a predatory bird. A hawk. An owl. A falcon or buzzard. Many traditional faiths, on the islands of Hokkaido, Sakhalin, the Kurils and the Aleutians especially, still include such a creature as the core part of their stories. Similarly, on our continent, many tribes, especially those further west, believe in malicious bird-like spirits in a variety of forms. For instance, the Ursine Wabanki tribe consider owls bad omens. Most faiths did at some point, though it's faded as did the danger.

In Efrafa, they have Keehar, a silent bird of prey, said to have terrible glowing eyes, who'd pick up unworthy, dishonourable and cowardly souls in his talons. On my journeys, particularly foul mammals would often have a curse whispered at them. 'May Kehaar take you'. It is said that the terrible king, Woundwort the fifth, was preyed upon by Kehaar. In the legends, an agent of El-ahrairah, remembered only as 'the barrel maker', used his wiles to take the king's fortune with naught but his crooked herding staff. Kehaar, with his terrible eyes, was seen following."

There was a pause, as the teacher brought out a new acetate. Placing it down, an open top tower was revealed, once more drawn in. "Woundwort did fall into ruin. There was a civil war after, followed by a golden age led by Hazel-rah the great. We haven't covered Zooastrianism, indeed there are innumerable species specific legends we'll also never be able to do, for instance the vulpine legend of the nameless fox and firekeeping. But followers of that old faith don't bury or burn their dead. They perform sky burial," he said, pointing at the tower. "Birds pick the bodies clean, including wild vultures. I'm sure you're aware of the tamed versions, which some small mammals fly, albeit far less than tamed geese or swan. Vultures are huge creatures, evolved as the ultimate scavengers, something that almost led to their extinction when we evolved and started funeral rites. Indeed, it's one of the few cases where there are more sentient birds of this type than non-sentient. In any case, these towers support much of the remaining wild population, and aren't that far away from Efrafa." He paused, looking at the class. "They're bigger than anything the Efrafans might have seen and maybe they learned about that civil war. It was probably rather beneficial for them."

He paused, checking the clock.

"Class dismissed. We have the assembly, so everyone into the sports hall."

The quiet room erupted into a cacophony of noise as bags were packed and chairs shifted. Ash had a slight shock when he remembered just who he'd been sat next to, given the relative lack of him being a nuisance. Or sniffing powdered candy…

Still, he thought it best to go with Kris and Agnes. His curiosity was reignited once again about just what this assembly was about.

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Kris and Agnes walked together as they crossed the playing area to get to the sports hall. It was a nice day, and he enjoyed the warmth of the sun on his skin, and the touch of her paw in his.

"I hope it won't be something bad," she said idly, as they joined the queue to enter. Kris looked at her and held her paw just a bit tighter. He'd have liked to have said that it wouldn't be, but he had the feeling that it would be. So, instead, he said something different.

"Whatever it is, we'll be okay."

"Sure?"

"Probably," he replied, mulling over his words a little. "But rest assured, I feel pretty confident."

They quietened down as they entered their spots in the hall and sat down. Agnes was by his side, holding his paw, while Ash sat on his other one, _sans_ contact. The rest of the school filed in, a low din of chatter and feet on the floor ringing out, until everyone was seated. The chatter carried on for a moment or two until the headmistress, a bespectacled springbok, walked up to the podium, the student body quietening down to a stifling silence.

"Good morning," she said, clearing her throat slightly. "I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here, and what is the cause of this unusual change in routine." There was a pause. A sad look down. A sigh. "I want to stress first and foremost that no-one is at risk at the moment and, ideally, no-one ever will be. Still, as is the policy of not only this school but the city government, we must all be prepared for that eventuality. All schools will currently be having briefings about this, before the news breaks to the public at large… It was done this way so you could prepare yourselves for news which, I have no doubt, will cause a lot of worry for many."

Kris looked to the two mammals at his side, both of them glancing at him as if for help or clarification. Ash gave a confused shrug, evidently as perplexed by this beating about the bush as Kris was. The silver fox just looked back to the front, the two others alongside him, as the headmistress carried on. Her voice was unsteady, filled with trepidation, as if trying to feel its way safely across thin ice.

"Yesterday morning, a team of ZPD mammals discovered that a large number of items were switched with fakes, the real ones stolen. The items… taken… were the bulbs to the plant that the Nighthowler serum is created from."

A collective gasp rung around the room, heads turning to face each other with worried looks. Kris felt a stinging jab of pain, his teeth gritting slightly in response, and, looking down at Agnes, he saw her clasping his paw with a vice like grip, as if holding on for dear life. Her mouth was open and trembling, and she choked back a sob, and then another.

Others were unable to do so. Kris heard cries, and tears, and mammals just breaking down. Glancing behind him, he saw Brittany, her teeth bared and her paw pinching the bridge of her muzzle, kick her heel into the ground a few times in anger.

Ash, sitting next to him, had his head bent down and his eyes closed. His body trembled as he took in the odd steadying breath. Kris could recognise the calming technique that he'd taught his older cousin, and he saw it playing out in front of him, just about holding the red fox together.

He wasn't sure if he should comfort him or just leave him be.

To be honest, he didn't know what to think.

Naturally, he'd heard about the Night Howler Crisis. He and his father had looked on with worried eyes at what was happening in the city on the other side of the continent, discussing just what it might be or how best to respond. They'd discussed different diseases, or whether it might have been some new chemical in the environment. After some debate, they'd decided that it was most likely some new contaminant in a pred-only food source. Then, just as quickly as it had started, the whole thing was revealed as a terrible conspiracy against predators.

He'd been concerned, certainly.

Had Ash's family chosen to, they would have been able to move over and stay with them, instead of the reverse occurring not that long after.

But…

But it had always been a distant thing of interest and, even now, that's what it felt like.

He wasn't appearing calm as he was holding it in, or keeping himself under control, but because he was calm. He didn't fear these Night Howlers. If anything, to him, the whole affair with the assembly seemed terribly overblown…

-Yet mammals around him, who'd actually lived through it all, were crying, or breaking up, or shocked or scared or just trying to keep it all together. Agnes had her head in her paws, sniffing as the odd tear dripped down between her fingers and, after checking to confirm that Ash seemed okay, he moved over to nudge up against her. "Don't worry," he told her. "We'll get through this. It'll all be okay… It'll all be fine. Just close your eyes… Deep breath… Calm…"

She followed his instructions and her panic slowly subsided. Many other mammals were going through the same thing, the teachers waiting for them all to take in the news. Finally, as everything calmed down, the headmistress began speaking again.

"What we went through two years ago was tough on each and every one one of us," she said, looking around. "However, there is no doubt that it affected the predator population worst of all. I can see from here that many of those who are most afraid are members of said type and, thus, I wish to reassure you. This is not like last time. Many of us fell into the trap of making it harder for you all, manipulated by fear but ultimately culpable. The usage of these stolen plants is, as of yet, undetermined. If it is to be used for regressing mammals to savages, then we must be aware that it may be predator, prey, or both who are targeted. Any predator specific insults or bullying, or for that matter similar actions against our sheep students, will not be tolerated."

There was a pause. She adjusted her glasses. She carried on.

"We will have to be vigilant though. In this assembly, we'll be going over updated savage mammal procedures, with drills scheduled for the near future. For the rest of this assembly we'll be covering what to do, how to act, how to stay safe. Afterwards, we'll have form period in which you can ask questions and seek advice. Thank you."

.

Kris watched on as the rest of the assembly progressed. Apparently, under Dawn Bellwether, all schools had been fitted with a secondary alarm system for savage predators. Linked to the police HQ, green alarms had been deployed, a picture of a red eyed wolf baring teeth on each. All part of her plan. After the truth was revealed, the offensive illustrations were naturally removed, the alarms were powered down, and the police link cut. However, the alarm systems and their sirens stayed in place. They had been deemed cheaper to leave in-situ and potentially useful in the future. Something that had turned out to be sadly true.

Kris also learned about the savage mammal drill. Paws around your neck, look around to identify if your room was safe, if so barricade yourself in and if not run. The teacher should be able to hold him or her back, before trapping them inside a room, all while you found your own ones. If they turned in the open or broke out, then split up. Better one mammal fall alone than many die together. If being chased, find the toilets and lock yourself in.

There was advice on, if caught by a savage, how to defend yourself. Aim for the eyes. Aim for the nether regions. Get a paw around the arms if you could, same for the mouth. Hold tight and scream 'HELP'. Remember that your attacker is a victim, who can be cured, but if it comes to it it's better them than you.

It was all cold, clinical, and Kris sat through it all. The assembly was then over, and they all walked out in silence.

.

.

Back into their form room, and the same fear and silence still remained. Their tutor stated that he was ready to take some questions and give advice, a noticeable look given over to the 'predator table'. Its residents paid little care to the invitation, instead just sticking with each other. They were preds, he was prey, and there was an unspoken agreement that he just wouldn't be able to quite get it.

Instead, it was Brittany who came over, sitting down and looking over the group. "You guys hanging up alright?"

"No…" Agnes choked out, bending down and shaking her head. "I… I… I thought it was over!"

"It's not like last time," one of the Packson brothers stated loudly, the other one nodding in agreement.

"For all we know it's gonna be preds turning sheep savage this time," Mitch tried to joke, though only he laughed.

"I think elephants," Ash noted. He was looking down at his paws, his fingers fussing about, the odd one stroking across his sweat bands here and there.

…

"-What!?" he suddenly asked, a sudden anger in his voice. "Can any of you think of anything worse than a savage elephant!?"

"Woah," Brittany replied, backing off a bit, her paws up. She looked down to the side, a little chuckle popping out of her mouth. "We're all a bit wound up and all…"

They all sighed and nodded, bar one. Brittany looked at him and paused. "You doing okay there, Kris?"

"Yes. Just fine," he said with a shrug.

The prefect paused, a hint of worry creeping into her voice. "Are you absolutely sure about…"

"-He is," Ash butted in, his tail giving a little irritated flick while one of his ears twitched about. "He just said so."

The silver fox nodded, before giving a shrug. "I lived two countries away when the first scare happened. Honestly, I don't feel any of this stuff. It all seems odd to me, like everyone is overreacting or going crazy, and I'm just fine."

"Oh, I…" Brittany began, before nodding. "Well, if any of you want to talk…" She put her paw up, nodded, before leaving the table. As she did so, Mitch almost immediately turned to Kris.

"I should have known that that was why you were so calm."

"I thought it was just normal Kris," Remus joked.

"If Mr Calm is worried, then you know you're in deep cuss," Remmy added, bringing a welcome chuckle to the group. There was a pause, and then the silver fox spoke out.

"Was it really that bad?"

…

"That drill," Agnes began, pausing to sniff. "It was originally just about how to deal with savage preds… If the alarm went off, all of us preds had to go into a corner of the room, away from the prey mammals. We… We had to lie on our backs on the floor… So if one of us turned, they… -they could deal with us…"

She trailed off into a set of sniffs, Kris going over to hold her tight. She held him back, as Ash spoke up. Tears had formed in his eyes too, and though he didn't cry, instead just sitting there and staring ahead, his voice was tinged with sadness. "I kept on thinking. Could this be the day it happened here? Could it be me? You know…" he began, before turning down to rub both his sweatbands hard. "-I was scared by the end… Cussing scared, that it'd happen, and I'd…"

"I think there were two schools where a mammal was turned," Remus said. "One was a teacher, one was a student. Both were restrained quickly, but…"

…

Ash shook his head, a thin growl escaping. "They wanted to bring fox-rep into the schools. Each teacher having some! Tasers too! Beavis kept on boasting how all preds, 'and Ash', should be nuzz… -_muzzled_…. And be put in chains, and how he should get his own fox rep or bear spray or 'racoon B-gone' or whichever dumbcuss jerk spray they wanted. Kept on telling me, he'd see if it would burn my 'eyelashes' off…"

Ash trailed off, then turned to Brittany.

"I got called out, some friend groups dumped me," she said. She'd returned without any of them noticing and she wasn't happy, her tail swishing behind her with an angry vigour. "My Dad was so scared by the end he was starting to hoard food. Got us all some spray too, 'just in case'." There was a pause, as a growl grew inside her, her face wincing up. "-Gah! That stupid, speciesist… dumb… -short-runt sheep!" she almost shouted. "I hate her."

"I really don't like her either," Ash grumbled, gaining a chorus of agreements all around. "-And now some absolute cuss of a mammal has to go and put us through it all again."

"I know," Brittany agreed. "I hope he slips up and savages himself!"

Her tail swished around a few times in irritation, before she glanced at the clock. "Almost break. I… I think I'll be in the library. So go there if anyone, you know…"

"Thanks," Mitch said, the others following. She left, and the group were alone again. Kris, who'd been silent throughout, just thought about what he'd heard. The fear, the self-doubt, the rage afterwards. He hadn't been here for the Night Howler Crisis, and though he understood now how much it meant to these mammals, he also knew that he couldn't ever understand what it was like. How it felt to be a mammal living that kind of life, rather than one who studied the whole thing from afar. He was calm and relaxed as normal, he knew that he was still safe and would be fine and happy. However, he also now knew that he was lucky.

He sighed. "Well, I guess thanks for the heads up on all of that. I'll try to be there for you, as much as I can."

There was a little laugh from Ash, but then he and the others nodded. It was time to leave for break, so they all stood up to leave, the red fox grabbing his things and waving at his cousin to join him. Kris came, and immediately spoke. "You okay?"

"Fine," he said, rubbing one of his wrist bands as he did so.

Kris glanced down at it and was about to speak, only to stop himself. "Good to hear, though I'm fine listening to whatever you want to say. Want to work on the comic some more?"

He nodded, and they set out together, only for the silver fox to get a light tap on his shoulder.

Agnes.

"Actually," she began. "-Could you give me a paw with some of my maths?"

Kris paused. Like him, she did the advanced maths, though she was lower down in set two. He wanted to help, maybe be there for her if she needed some help. Then again, the same could be said for his cousin, who he'd agreed to be with first. He glanced back at Ash, and found his answer as he rolled his eyes and waved his paw at them, signalling for them to go.

"Thanks," he said. "We'll carry on work after lunch. Sounds good?"

"Sure, whatever," Ash replied, waving them away a bit more vigorously. The pair left for the library, while the smaller tod made his own way out. He felt a bit irritated, and a whole load of more complex things if asked about the whole night howler thing. Then again, he told himself as he looked down at his wrists, life was good.

He would get through this.

In any case, he remembered, a grin growing on his muzzle, he knew the awesome mammals who helped end crisis number one on a first name basis.

Everything really was going to be just fine.

He knew it.

.

.

**AN: You may have noticed some obvious referencing in that last chapter. The whole lesson on the faith of Frith is inspired by Ubernoner's awesome **_**Sons of Efrafa**_ **series. Go check it out. A little easter egg was also put in, referencing Ubermunchkin's **_**Strength of a Bear**_**, also set in the SOE AU.**

**And, of course, I couldn't not make a reference to Variable Mammals/ Kittah's Fic **_**Familiar Fire**_**, and my fan sequel to it, where Brittany is the main character. Before you ask, the boys aren't writing **_**Fam Fire**_**! They're doing something completely different.**

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I put a lot of work into them, so dropping a comment (even a little one) is always super appreciated and puts a big smile on my face. Thanks, and looking forwards to next time..**


	8. A-D-I-T-L-O Ash Fox & Kris Silverfox 3

**Chapter 3**

.

.

Break for Kris was a simple affair. He sat next to Agnes at one of the hexagonal tables in the library as they worked through her problem areas slowly but surely. He was fine with that, able to concentrate and give out helpful advice. Agnes tried to follow it bit by bit but every now and again she'd get distracted. Looking down, or up at the ceiling, or just phasing out before snapping back to the present with a surprised 'huh!'

His ears drooped on the third time, and he followed her gaze to see a little green alarm unit, tucked away in a corner next to the standard fire alarm.

He sighed, before reaching down with a paw to hold hers.

She flinched a little, before looking back at him, a faint smile on her face.

.

.

Meanwhile, Ash walked along the edge of the playground, just relaxing on his own. He had his own feelings about the scare, feelings he liked to mull over by himself. They weren't so much about the risks, he was confident that the bad guys would be defeated. It was more about who those bad guys where. What they were doing. Why?

"_Why not get two for the price of one. Two for the price of one? Come on, I'm just giving them away here!"_

Ash's ears perked up, and he followed the new sound to its origin, or at least as close as he could get to it. Looking through the fence, he saw a thin and wiry weasel, a plus sign shaped bandage on his forehead, trying his best to hawk off a table full of goods. By the looks of it there were video games, fancy rucksacks and branded sporting accessories, such as refillable water bottles.

And they were all rubbish. Ash knew this, having encountered some poor fellow students whose work had been ruined by a leaky bottle. They'd dropped their bag down in their locker or in a corner while heading off to lunch, the bottle had split right down a seam on the side and flooded out, and they'd returned to see the horror. Remembering it all, he frowned with irritation. One of his ears twitched a bit and he banged on the fence, getting the mustelid's attention.

"Want anything?" He asked, scurrying over. "I'm happy to help those who still have to stay inside, like you. Not a problem. Money?" He paused, smiling. "Well there's holes in this fence, ain't there."

Ash frowned. "There's junk on your table."

"You mean other mammals treasure," the weasel said, his face scowling up like an ageing fruit.

"Until it breaks and they learn it's junk."

The weasel huffed, an irritated look on his face. He leant in, looking the fox in the eyes. "I'm just a mammal trying hard to make a livin', an' get myself back on my own two paws. Don't hassle me until you've had a go at it, kit!"

"What happened to take you off those paws?"

Freezing slightly, the mustelid let his teeth bare ever so slightly. "I got hassled by some idiots who thought I'd stolen something from 'em. There. You're being mean to a charity case now. Happy!?"

"Did you steal from them?"

…

"They didn't find nothing!"

Ash frowned. "I heard a good delay there and some overcompensation. More importantly, I didn't hear a no. I'll take that as a very long yes."

"Listen now! I don't got a lot after my encounter with them. But I do have all this, and I'm just trying to do some honest business to get back on my two paws again. So, if you want to belittle me, then skadoosh…"

Ash looked on at him and shook his head. "I don't want to see you fleecing other students," he warned, before turning away. There wasn't really anything he could do, so he instead headed off to his locker. He didn't use it for stashing books; like most students he just took everything home with him. Instead, he had a stash of sweets and stuff and, after opening a biscuit tin, he slid a few jammy dodgers into his mouth before shutting it all up again. Checking the time, it was still a bit early to go to the next lesson, but as it was art he could set himself up there and do a few more storyboards for his comic.

That sounded good.

.

.

The two foxes met again in the art class, their form all together for it, before they picked up on their assignments for the day. The room itself was in one of the older buildings on the edge of the school site, more specifically a large brick barn that had been converted for use rather than being demolished. Their studio was in the roof space, long and narrow and with windows on both sides, making it both light and cosy. All sorts of random items were present, from old musical instruments to bits of teaching skeletons, while various bits of art hung on the wall. This meant that, when asked to pick something and 'do something with it', there was a lot to choose from.

Usually the mood during such a thing would be joyous, but today it was far quieter. Many students were using it as an opportunity to just calm down after the worrying news from the assembly. Kris, though he felt a tinge of guilt about it, almost preferred it that way. More peaceful, more relaxing, just him with a pencil and a sketchpad. He'd chosen a bronze-colored, blocky, battery-powered mantle clock for his first sketch. Two deer bucks in soldiers' uniforms stood to attention either side of it, their fur and clothing richly detailed. The silver fox observed it closely, before pencil went over paper. Quickly glancing up and down, he got the silhouette done, before breaking out a rubber. One of the tines was just a little bit off. Fixing it, he then began working on the basic facial features, while also filling in some of the fur. On he went, quietly and methodically, until his ears twitched with the sound of someone behind him.

"If you don't take art as an option all the way up to the top, I'll forever be disappointed in you," came the joking voice of his art teacher.

"I've got it down," Kris said with a smile, "and I very much intend to."

"Good," the art teacher said, before stepping around, just to have a closer look at it. He shook his head as he did so. "It's remarkable. I've got mammals in their last year, doing art, in line for solid grades. Yet you, you can match them. It really does just come naturally to you, doesn't it?"

He shrugged. "I mean, I just see things and my paws follow the instructions I give them. Same reason why I'm good at sport."

The teacher nodded. "Those could be surgeons' paws, right there."

There was a chuckle. "Thank you, sir."

"You know…" he carried on, before pausing. "I don't think I've told the class this yet, but art is why we have the A-star grade. You see, a mammal could create a piece of great work that fully achieves the targets set for it. That's you're A. Then, another one can come with a work that is simply better. By a long shot. Given how many of those top grades I give you, I think you can tell where this is going."

"I do."

The teacher nodded. "Carry on," he said, before pausing. "-Also, I've been catching your comic."

Kris nodded. "Ash's and my comic."

"Of course," the teacher said, nodding slowly. "You know, I'm surprised that you two decided to join together. When I first pointed him to those competitions, I was expecting something wild and out there, whereas you would do something much more intricate."

The silver fox paused, wondering whether to tell him the truth. That his own acceptance to the comic magazine resulted in Ash's work, which he'd put his heart and soul into, getting booted off. That it had been the heavy straw that had broken the camel's back, boiling him over, and so nearly making him end it all. Not that many mammals even knew about 'the Incident'.

"-though, to be honest, you two do a good job," the teacher continued, thankfully unaware. "I see your work, and your detail, as the main thing that pops up. But I keep on seeing these fun bits of Ash's experimental side, and his old style, breaking through."

"All the thought and dream sequences," Kris said proudly. "The flashbacks and stuff."

"Pretty much wherever you have one of your art style changes. And I must say, having different ones for different 'states' is excellent. You know, -I really enjoyed that one time when you had the character passed out, and his inner monologue used the wispy dream style! Then slowly morphing back into the normal style as he recovered. It really helped the reader understand what was going on, though I'd better compliment Ash for that."

The silver fox paused, thinking back. "Ash wanted to try out all these different styles, but I encouraged him to limit them to make things more coherent. We settled on different styles for different 'states', like you said, but it was his idea to play a bit loose with the rules sometimes."

"Indeed," the teacher said, his eyebrows raising as he took note.

"By the way…" Kris pondered, a sudden curiosity coming over him. "What do you think of Ash's work?"

"Well," he began. "For a start, I'd be equally disappointed if he chose not to carry on art. For the next two years at least. As for his style…" he trailed off, before looking over.

Across the room from him was the red fox in question, listening on to his Walkmammal as he worked. Unlike the rest of the class, who'd mainly picked pencils with a few pastels and paints thrown in there, he had a whole host of items and materials around him. The subject of his piece was a paw held fan, nothing special by itself. But he'd drawn its frame, and a jagged paw that held it, in solid black ink. There were crooks in the bits of wood, giving it an almost broken look, while the paw looked like something climbing out of the earth in a black and white comic book. Compared to that, though, the bits of fabric that made up the fan itself were a literal rainbow. From red acrylic paint at the top, to light blue tissue paper collage further down, he was making them all as different as they could be. Currently, he was rubbing a yellow highlighter against one of his finger pads, before pressing it down, literally finger painting in senior school. In contrast, every other mammal was trying a like for like recreation of their item.

Nodding and looking back at Kris, the teacher smiled. "In terms of fidelity, you come out fully on top, no contest. But your cousin, he tries things, sometimes great things and sometimes things that fall flat. Maybe it doesn't get rewarded as much, but it's something I deeply respect."

The silver fox took it in with deep interest, already knowing what must be done. "I'd tell him that," he said, looking over. "Tell him everything. It'll mean so much to him."

The teacher nodded. "I'll do that right now."

So he did as Kris returned to his sketch. Making sure his pencils were sharp and accurate, he did the fine details around the eyes, even using a rubber to help create little sparks of light in the formerly dead pupils. He glanced over to where his cousin stood and saw the teacher there, talking to him.

The red fox's tail was wagging vigorously, and Kris smiled as he returned to his work.

.

.

Breaking up for lunch, both foxes went their separate ways. Kris went into the queue for the main canteen, even though his year had a lower priority today. He was happy to wait though. Ash, meanwhile, made his way to the hot snacks bar to pick up a chicken wrap. There was the option of adding some salads and such, but he ignored them, just adding some barbeque sauce and then paying. He scarfed and wolfed it down in less than a minute, with Kris having to wait for five more minutes to enter the canteen and get his tray. Picking out some plain oat cookies for dessert, he then had a look at the predator option that was on, a bug lasagne. Perfectly good for him, particularly with a side of chips and some peas and sweetcorn as well. There were some large bowls of prepared salad-stuff, and he helped himself to a nice helping of coleslaw, alongside a shredded beetroot and chickpea salad. He waved to the till lady, an older and quite eccentric vixen, before he settled down, alongside Agnes. He brought some water cups and they ate together, engaging in frequent small talk.

After that, he left to meet up with Ash again. As he walked, though, he thought he heard something and followed the sound to investigate. Behind one of the buildings, Beavis was singing to a small bunch of mammals. Kris wondered if this was a more sensitive side to the distasteful bully, but that idea quickly sunk as he heard the lyric content.

"_Weeellllllll….. Sheep are evil, very very evil, _

_they're the biggest evil in the whole wide world_,

_The ewes are evil and rams are evil,_

_And lambs are evil to the boys and girls._

_On Monday they hate preds,_

_On Tuesday the hate preds,_

_On Wednesday to Saturday, they hate preds,_

_Then on Sunday, just to be different, _

_They hate preds and prey and extra double preds!"_

Kris shook his head and walked away. That chipmunk wasn't worth the effort, and he had better things to do.

.

At the same time, Ash wandered over to where he'd seen the weasel before, sighing as he saw him still at it. Worse, Brittany, who liked to eat her lunch offsite, was passing him. She gave his offers a firm no, but still he persisted, visibly aggravating her. Ash's phone came out, ready to record everything, but at that point the weasel gave up, returning to his stand.

Ash put it away, before noticing something odd. The weasel was looking around, worried, sniffing the air. Then, in a sudden rush of frantic activity, he packed everything up as fast as he could before hauling everything up a tree.

Seconds later, a cop came around the corner.

Not just any cop, though.

"Hey there!" Nick shouted, a giant grin suddenly growing on his face. He jogged forward so he was right up next to the younger fox, before leaning against the fence and giving him a great big grin. "How's it hanging, Mr…" he said, before spitting on the floor.

"Good! Very good," Ash replied, eagerly. He smiled. He was in a good mood ever since the unexpected pep talk from his art teacher. Still, though, there was that other thing…

"You okay?" Nick asked, his voice suddenly sounding a bit concerned, just as Ash realised that he was beginning to feel very down.

He sighed, paw on his forehead and scratching slightly. "I'm not sure," he began, taking it slow. "I said I was good, I had some very good lessons. But… -but is it true that night howlers are back?"

The older fox looked at him sadly. "I investigated the theft," he said, honestly. "We don't know what's being done with them, but some _have_ been taken. But! I promise that we're doing everything we can to stop whichever bad mammal is planning something."

Ash smiled. "Well, you're on the job, so we'll get there."

"We will!" Nick said proudly, before pausing. "Say," he said, as his paws went out. Ash saw him sign the words for '_stay quiet'_. The younger fox nodded. "Did you know that my mother works at this school?" '_Looking for a weasel_.'

"Oh!" Ash replied, suddenly interested on multiple fronts. He smiled. "Is she the slightly wild one who runs the lunch till?" '_Third… -Acorn-tree from left'_

"Ah! You know her!" Nick replied happily, chuckling a bit. "And yes, Wilde on multiple fronts!"

As he spoke, he wandered backwards, before his face quickly darted towards the tree in question. Looking up, he saw a hole in the trunk and brought out his radio. "Judy, I think I've found where our M-O-I is holed up," he said, as he grabbed a pinecone and tossed it in. It bounced back out, albeit much slower than before.

The fox frowned.

"Duke! We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Come on now. You're not in trouble, we just want to do a bit of questioning… Wesselton…"

"It's Weas…" came a shout, suddenly cut off hallway through. Nick looked to Ash and winked, and he did the same to Judy as she arrived, pointing up at the hiding hole. Then his nose twitched a few times, and a darker look began growing on his face.

"Was he doing anything?" she asked, looking at Ash.

"Selling knockoff junk."

"That's not all," Nick warned, his face scowling before he glanced at Ash. "The wind carried it away from you, but I've just smelled a whiff of alcohol."

"-You got nothing! No proof I did anything even if I do have that stuff on me! The dumb kit didn't see nothing!"

Nick frowned, shaking his head as he tutted. "Now, now, Duke! I quite like that kit, and he's clever enough to secretly tell me where you were. Anyway, I can smell the alcohol now. Smells like industrial stuff. Let me guess, selling little shots that you can mix with pawpsi and then sell to school kids. Oh dear me…"

"If your stupid nose is so good," the weasel shouted, popping out of his hole as he did so. "Then why did you need a kit as a witness!? Why didn't you just use that sniffer to track me down?"

He shrugged. "I just wanted visual confirmation from a friend. My nose could easily track any mammal down. Especially one with such a distinct and notable odour such as your own."

…

"I'm still not coming out," he grumbled, as Judy stepped up, an unimpressed look etched onto her face.

"I've just asked for back up. Officer Pennington will soon be on her way and she'll get you out, so I strongly advise you to just give up now. We have probable cause, and evidence if you have all the right pieces present. We can then interview the pupils, leading to a guilty charge and jail time given your record. If you help us with our questions, we can get a plea deal for the alcohol thing, and then you're only looking at community service. The more helpful you are, the shorter that can be. Or are you going to be your usual charming self?"

"Ooooh," Nick commented, as he looked over at her. "That's the 'I've had just about enough of this' look. Remember the last two times you saw that? Wasn't pretty for you, was it?"

Duke gave an irritated growl, before flinging his arms out. "Fine then!" he hissed.

There was some cussing and cursing as he got out of his hole, Nick and Judy taking up positions around the tree to make sure he didn't make a run for it. Coming down, Judy cuffed herself to him while Nick examined the base of the tree, finding some of his larger wares. He tutted, looking up to his partner. "Just look at this," he said, holding up a water bottle, showing off the distinctive crack in it. "At least I had standards in my hustling days." A quick rummage around found the alcohol and, glancing back down at Weaselton, he shook his head. "Let's get this over with, Duke!"

"Shut up!" he shouted, seething. He looked up at Nick and Judy, then over at Ash. "I'll get my own back on you bunch. Just you wait."

"Still a sore loser, I see," Nick noted, watching him getting led off. He paused, before glancing back to the watching student. "Thanks for the help, Mr…" He spat on the floor, earning a slight roll of the eyes and an eager smile from Ash.

"No problem. It was kind of fun."

"Good to hear," he said back, giving a playful salute. "And don't worry about Duke's threats."

"I won't. He seems embarrassingly useless."

"Yeah… That about sums him up," Nick replied, before heading off, giving Ash a quick wave as he went. "See you around! Loving the socks!"

"You too! Thanks!" Ash said, as he watched Nick go.

…

That was fun.

He turned back, though, ready to meet up with Kris in the art room again. Their comic needed working on, after all.

.

.

Meeting up with Kris, the pair brainstormed where the final arc would go. They knew the basics, and the outline. The main characters would discover a certain conspiracy, find out that two ostracised characters were on the side or right, and try to break the story only to find themselves caught in an all-out brawl. Each had scenes that they wanted to fit in, and plans for certain characters, and it was a back and forth to try and map out where best to have everything go.

By the end, they believed they'd got there, and together they packed up their things and head off back to the form room. Brittany was waiting, ready to do the count, while other classmates were coming back in. Kris, spotting Agnes, walked over to talk to her, leaving Ash waiting alone.

He looked around.

He paused, as he saw Maisy sitting alone, looking around nervously. He wondered for a few seconds, before slipping off his stool and walking over to her.

"Hey," he said softly.

The sheep turned and yelped, flinching back a bit and looking around in panic. Ash, taken aback, put his paws out to try and calm her, but it only seemed to make her worse.

"I don't know anything about this!" she shouted, standing up and glancing around in panic. "I know nothing! Just because I'm a sheep doesn't mean I'm a bad mammal!"

"I wasn't…"

"You can't judge me for what she did!" she cried out, before turning and running. Ash looked on, stood still and utterly confused, as she raced out the door, barging past the form tutor as he went.

"What was that for?"

Again, Ash opened his mouth to speak only to be cut off, this time by Beavis. "Sir. Ash told her that she's a dirty speciesist sheep, and deserves to be in jail with Bellwether like the rest of them."

"I DIDN'T!"

"Yes, you did! Stop lying, you…"

"He didn't, sir," Brittany said out loud, walking up to defend the younger fox. "I think he just went over to comfort her and she reacted badly… She was taking the whole news very hard."

The form tutor looked between them, then at Beavis. "Absolute last warning."

"But.. -come on sir. She's a fox! He's a fox! They're ganging up. Sticking for each other! It's what their species does!"

The teacher's eyes narrowed. "That's your break and lunchtime tomorrow spent with me then."

"What! That's not fair! I'm just telling the truth!"

Brittany walked up to him, a mixture of anger and supreme satisfaction etched across her muzzle. "Two days ago, you said that us foxes would sell each other out for a dollar. If you're gonna be specist, at least keep your story straight."

He looked around, trying to garner sympathy but finding none. Finally, he turned to the teacher. "Come on. Who are you really going to believe, huh?"

…

"Them," the teacher said loudly. "And you can stay after school tomorrow too."

Beavis' mouth gaped wide open, but he finally seemed to get the message and shut up. He trudged off, Ash smiling a little as he heard him sniff slightly. Not long after, everyone was packing up and heading to their afternoon lessons. The first one happened to be just across the hall.

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"-And so," the physics teacher, a bespectacled ocelot explained. "The current travelling through the wires induces a circular magnetic field." She drew rings around the two circles, with arrows in them to show the flow of the magnetic force. "On its own, not useful. But, if aligned, the two magnetic fields in the centre are flowing the same way." She then held up a sheet of paper, covering the wires, and just showing the flowing field lines. "In effect, creating something equivalent to a standard bar magnet."

She then explained how, by adding bar magnets to the sides, an electric motor could be created. That would be the task for today. First, though, she brought out a large electric wire and asked if one of the foxes in the room could volunteer. Kris felt fine letting others have the first shot, and both Ash and Agnes were interested, with the latter getting chosen. She stood up at the front of the class, as the teacher spoke out. "Some mammals have a sense of magnetism. Often, this may be in the form of a subtle feeling, such as balance is, and can be observed when they tend to lie or arrange their beds to face a certain way. Ask them, and it just feels better. Foxes, though, are unique in that said magnetic sense, or rather the specific proteins that detect magnetism, are present in certain eye cells." She paused, and looked at the vixen. "I believe, you can see a faint smudge, pointing down, in a certain direction," she said.

Agnes nodded. "Yes Ma'am. That way." She pointed into a corner of a room, downwards, to which the teacher nodded. "Magnetic north. It was this skill that made fox navigators so important in the maritime cultures of the old world. It can be still used today, with relevance to electric systems."

Going back to a wire, the teacher flipped on a power supply and asked Agnes if she could work out which way the current was flowing. She looked above and below the wire, before shaking her head. "I think it's still off."

The teacher smiled and flicked on the plug. "How about now."

Agnes repeated the experiment, before pausing as she slid her nose under the wire. "I see it now. Just this odd shadowy blur."

"And which way is the current flowing?"

"Well, this is facing into the north…. So south is behind me. So…" She held out her right paw so that her fingers were coming down and under her wrist, pointing towards her, while her thumb stuck out to the side. "So, the current is going from right to left."

The teacher nodded. "Well done."

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The rest of the lesson carried on. All groups got out a power supply and a small kit and, together, they had to build their own electric motor. By the end of the lesson, all had devices that were spinning away, and then it was time to pack up again and leave for the final class of the day.

It happened to be P.E. or, more specifically, swimming.

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The locker room was crowded as mammals took off their clothes and stashed it all into the present lockers. Each student had their own pair of swim wear, and their own towel, with some still using goggles as well. They all filled out, eager to get started, eventually just leaving one left.

Ash.

He stood there, in just his trunks and sweat bands, as he leant against his locker and breathed in and out. It wasn't that he didn't like swimming, he quite enjoyed it, just…

Just…

"You okay?"

He turned, spotting Kris in the corner.

"I noticed you weren't coming through. I thought you might be stuck on the toilet, or…" He trailed off, though, as he saw the small bits of fabric still around the red fox's wrists. Looking away a little, he sighed, scratching the side of his muzzle. Most other mammals would tell Ash that they were just bits of dumb clothing, not important in the slightest, and he was being silly in not wanting to take them off. Others would just note that he was 'different', though after learning just how much he hated the label, Kris knew otherwise. He knew a lot about his older cousin, and so he did something completely different. He walked up to Ash and he held one of his paws.

Ash held back, tight, taking in a breath fast as he used his other paw to rub the wrist band hard, massaging it. Deep breath in, and he let go, tearing off both wrist bands like they were plasters and stashing them into his locker, sealing it shut before glancing at Kris. "Thanks," he said, as the silver fox led him out. He tried to follow him but, after just a few steps, his eyes lowered to look at his paws.

His wrists.

The scars…

Below each paw, on both the top and bottom, the charcoal grey fur of those areas was riven with bare skin, dabbled, marked and clear to see even if he tried to brush over it. A thumb pad slid over, making its way through the lines of damage, and he felt the roughness beneath.

He'd done this.

To himself.

Because he could.

Because he was angry.

Because he snapped, and he wanted to end it, and it felt good to hurt himself then for some dumb reason which he couldn't remember, yet could.

The whole sight of the things, which would last him his entire life, sent him remembering, and he never liked that. His wrist bands kept them covered up, out of sight and mind, where he wanted it all…

He had to take them off for showers and such at home. That was okay, for a little bit. But school or in public was a different matter. Just the thought of having mammals asking questions and him having to explain it all gave him a horrible twisting feeling in his stomach. The more explaining you had to do, the worse it got.

Always.

Still, he would get through this.

Into the pool room, he did stretches with everyone else, before being one of the first to get in. Paws went into the cool water, the damage blurring beneath the ripples. He watched on as the others came in, Kris the last among them. His feet went down the ladder and the first, hitting the water, flinched back up again. It slowly went down, dipping in, and was then carefully followed by the other. The silver fox's ears pulled back, slick against the top of his body and, taking a deep breath in, he pushed himself the rest of the way. He then joined Ash, doing some little exercises beneath the water as he did so, before the rest of the lesson started.

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By the end of it, Ash had remembered that Kris was a very good swimmer. Comparisons were hard between most pupils, given that some were far more adapted for swimming than others. But between the foxes, Kris, with his unusual front crawl, thrashed Ash and his equally unusually breast stroke. Most mammals stuck to a trusty paddle, with varying degrees of success. There was a feeling that the otter instructor, Coach Skip, tended to focus on those at the top rather than the bottom; so as long as they weren't in trouble, the weaker swimmers were left to themselves.

Regardless, swim period was uneventful, and the pupils eventually got out of the pool, before making their way back to the changing rooms. It was the end of the school day and there was a buzzing energy in the air as the pupils looked forward to going home. First, though, showers and a quick fur dry. A whole line was gathering, ready to hop in. The showers were individual and had basic curtains, while there was a walk-through fur dryer right nearby. A queue was already forming for the former and, water dripping from them, the two foxes waited in line.

"Please hurry up," Kris mumbled, as his cousin looked over to him. The silver fox was shivering a little, his paws rubbing up and down his forearms. It was a bit of an odd sight as far as Ash was concerned. Sure, he himself was cold and beginning to tremble. But Kris not being composed… -Then again, there were moments when he showed his more vulnerable side.

"Mind if you hold my place?" Kris asked suddenly, Ash nodding in return. The silver fox sped off into the toilets, locking the door, and the sound of him shaking himself off rang out.

Out he came again, still holding himself with his ears peeled down but looking a bit better. He carried on fidgeting until they got into the lukewarm showers, both of them shampooing their fur and washing it out, before giving themselves a little shake and heading off to the fur dryer.

They both paused as they spotted a crowd around it.

"It's not working," Kris said, a hint of nerves in his voice. "Is it?"

"The heater's gone!" one of the students up ahead shouted. "Drys you off but freezes you too."

Many students in line, Ash included, grumbled at the annoyance, only to pause as he heard what almost sounded like a whimper coming from Kris. His cousin was physically shivering right now, his breath getting just a little bit faster, and Ash realised that this wasn't just the cold getting to him. There was something else there too. Something that was playing with his nerves.

Kris hurried back into the toilets, Ash behind him, and they both found cubicles in which they could shake off most of the wetness. Ash felt cold, certainly, but as he grabbed a bath towel and began drying himself out he began feeling warmer.

He also heard Kris' teeth chatter slightly as he vigorously dried himself off.

Ash frowned and, finishing off his drying, he changed his trunks for underwear and put on his sweatbands again.

Kris, meanwhile, kept on rubbing himself, trying to get the damp out of him. A faint breeze or a waft from a moving mammal would send a chill down his already cold fur, allowing it to claw in just a bit further. His normal calmness was replaced with a running unease, as he just had to get himself warm and dry.

His activities were suddenly halted as a towel landed right into his chest. Hard. He looked at it, he looked up, and he saw Ash in front of him, getting dressed. "If you're cold, you can have that," he said, and Kris sighed with relief. The new towel, though damp, went around his upper body as he finished drying his legs and got his trousers on. He then handed it back, finished off his top, and put his shirt on.

He still felt cold though. Still felt a faint tremble, and he grimaced at having to go all the way home like this.

Something soft hit him in the stomach and, looking down, he saw that it was Ash's hoodie. "Bring it back tomorrow," the older fox said, "and bring your own fleece next time."

The worried tension in Kris' body released itself blissfully and, relaxing, he smiled. "Thanks Ash," he said, as he put the fleece on. It was too small for him, and tight, and there was a visible bit of his shirt sticking out the bottom. He looked stupid, but he didn't care.

He felt warm again, and that was something much better for him, and a smile returned to his face as he heated up on the walk out to the bike shed, Ash getting his bike out while Kris kept an eye for the bus.

"I'll remember," he promised. "See you tomorrow."

"You too," Ash replied, before pausing. "I'll do some storyboarding."

"I'll fill in some of the ones you've already sent me."

…

"And thanks. Again. For the jumper."

Ash rolled his eyes. "You're welcome," he said, as he pedalled off, both foxes going their separate ways for the rest of the day.

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**AN: So, it looks like things are going on outside and in. But where will it lead? Is Duke actually involved? Will there be any surprises in store when Ash and Kris get home? Well, there's one more chapter left following our two young fox's day, and then the rest of the story in which to find out.**

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I put a lot of work into them, so dropping a comment (even a little one) is always super appreciated and puts a big smile on my face. Thanks, and looking forwards to next time...**


	9. A-D-I-T-L-O Ash Fox & Kris Silverfox 4

**Chapter 4:**

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Pedaling hard, Ash hit the brakes of his bike as his house came into view. Wheels locking and sliding on the loose soil, he hoisted one leg over the seat, riding side saddle until he was slow enough to do a running leap onto the ground.

He slowed down, looking around, before he parked his bike into its shed, making sure it was locked up properly. Doing so, he couldn't help but look around. This was the mechanics' shop, containing his father's motorcycle and sidecar, along with all sorts of other equipment. Farming stuff to help his mother's allotments, basic air rifles to help with his father's pest control, and some big freezers to store produce in. There was a distinctive tang of petrol in the air, while, looking down, he had to avoid a few splotches of motor oil.

Outside again, he walked right up to the door to the kitchen, peeling his socks off before he stepped in and threw them into a bucket of soapy water, a rule set by his mother. It was all about keeping her house clean and tidy, even though every other mammal would walk straight in with dirty pads. Even after they'd cleaned them, his pads were cleaner, thanks to those socks.

Warmer and cosier throughout the day too, yet he was the weird one.

Some things never really made sense, something that Ash mulled on as his stepped through the door. No-one was downstairs, so he walked up the staircase, approaching the lounge above. As he did so, he couldn't help but hear his parents talking about something.

"-I know, it's not the most opportune time," his mother was saying, just a bit tense. There was a pause, as she breathed out to calm herself. "But what's happened has happened, hasn't it? And didn't we just agree?"

"We did, dear," his father said back. "And we'll get through this."

"You're now making it sound like an ordeal," she snarked.

"And it isn't! I'm excited for the future and all, I couldn't be happier in fact! Just now, with everything, and Ash too…"

"We'll have to keep a close eye on him," she said sadly.

"He'll probably understand. He'll probably be great! Just like us."

"But you know what both those times did too…" she began, before pausing.

…

"Ash?"

His ears perked up, and he entered the room. His parents sat on a couch, turned to face each other, and his mother walked up and over. A paw went on his shoulder, and one around his back, and, though it was a bit sudden, he didn't feel like batting her away this time. It felt like something to just let be. "Is this about the night howlers?" he asked. "I feel nervous but prepared. I can live through this."

There was a warm chuckle from Mr Fox. "There you go," he said, relaxing a bit. "I told you he'd be able to take it well."

"It was just a good idea to check," Mrs Fox reminded him, before her eyes narrowed. "Besides… Things might get worse before they get better."

Ash's ears dropped back down slightly on hearing that, and he looked up at her. "You think that more mammals than last time might be turned?"

"I… -We don't know yet. Is your school doing anything about it?"

"We had a brief, we might be practicing some drills."

She sighed sadly. "Better than nothing. But if you ever need help, or a pick me up, say an ice-cream. Just ask. Promise me that?"

"I…" he began, before pausing, a little smile coming on his muzzle. "If they do sorbet, then that sounds good. I'll ask."

"Thanks," she said, before swooping down for a proper hug. Ash hugged her back, finding much more comfort and happiness in it than he expected. Maybe he'd grown out of these things by and large, maybe the number of times he'd get them in the future was limited, but for now he was enjoying this one. He sniffed in his mothers' scent hard and he hugged her just a bit tighter, something in the smell wanting to make him hold and comfort her far more than usual. His tail wagged a little, before he let go.

"Anyway, Ash…" she began again, looking down into his eyes while a paw went over her stomach. "Your father and I have been talking."

"Discussing things…"

"About a whole lot of stuff…"

"-Important stuff!"

"And…" she continued, before trailing off. She took a breath in and out, trying to speak but the words hanging on her mouth, before she gave a glance over to her husband.

"I think what your mother is trying to say, Ash," he began, "is that you need one of those big sorbets! Bad things might be going on, and it might hit you hard, so we thought we'd lift you up beforehand!" He walked over, looking over his son with a confident smile on his face. "How about you help Kylie and I with a goose issue we've been contacted about."

"Freddy…" Mrs Fox began, only to be cut off by Ash.

"Really!?"

"Yup."

"I get to go on one of your missions," he said. "You're taking me on…"

"Exactly as I said! Big testing the waters and finding your feet thing, which should really perk those ears up!"

Ash looked on, his paws shaking ever so slightly with the sudden news. He took a breath in, composed himself, before speaking out sincerely. "That sounds very good, and I'd love to join you. Thanks," he said, as he raised a finger. "Could you also spare me a minute or two?"

"Well how about three?" he asked, before giving his son a nod and watching him exit the lounge, walking upstairs. His wife immediately turned to face him, a slight glare on her face.

"I know we discussed that little matter, but I still don't like how you pulled it on me," she said, a bit harshly.

"He'll be fine. He'll be better than fine. You saw the look on his face. Do you know how happy he is?"

She opened her mouth to retort, only to be cut off from a shout from two floors above. "YAHOOO! YEHHAAAAA! YES! YES! YES! YEEEEESSSSSSSS! HA HAAAAAA!"

…

Mr Fox gave a quick double whistle, a wink, and two clicks of his tongue as his wife looked at him, her tail giving a few sassy flicks behind her as she did so.

"-Besides," he continued. "You were dancing around the real issue, weren't you?"

She sighed. "Sure. Fine. However, on this mission of yours, promise to keep him safe, and not to waste the chance either."

"I won't," he said confidently, pausing as Ash returned down, a new pair of thick and cosy socks on his feet, and a White-Cape comic under his arm. "But for now, I think we've all had a hard day, so let's relax."

Mrs Fox, after a few seconds, did just that. "That actually sounds like a good idea of yours," she said with a smile, as she joined her husband on a sofa.

"Honey, I'm happy to say it's one of my all-time bests."

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* * *

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Returning home, Kris entered his flat and took off Ash's jumper, stashing it in his bag so he wouldn't forget it the next day. His father wasn't home yet, he wouldn't be for a while, so instead the younger fox set about getting things done. Though there was a lush warmth in the building, thanks to its location, he put on a larger jumper just for a little bit, letting him warm up. Then, opening his bag, he began scanning through the homework he had to do. Piece after piece after piece was then completed. From quick math's work, to more complex essays that he planned, researched, and typed. In the science lessons, they'd just been asked to start including references, in most cases straight up links at the bottom which led to the site in question. However, his father had taught him how to properly cite sources a few years back. As a result, he saved his sources of information in a little bibliography on his word processor and dropped in the relevant links when he included the borrowed information. He didn't need anything to help him focus; he just let what few distracting thoughts he had slip away to the side and sailed on regardless.

After an hour and a bit, everything was done, all up to the highest standard. Away it went in his bag and, checking the time, he saw that he had some time to work on the comics too. Out came Ash's storyboards, along with a professional drawing kit, and Kris soon had the borders spaced out and done in with thick ink. Then came what was inside of them. Placing Ash's work next to his own blank canvas, the silver fox soon had all the rough sketches transferred neatly across, a few corrections made here and there. Then came the embellishing. Using just his paw and a pencil, he let the world that had previously been held within their shared imagination come to life on paper. He was halfway done through the first sheet when a key rattled in the lock, his ears standing rigidly to attention as they heard it.

The door opened, and in came his father. "Afternoon!"

"Afternoon Dad," he replied, standing up and walking over, and the two shared a loving hug. After all, for both of them, it felt so good to be back together again.

Breaking off, the older fox looked down at his son, his ears drooping just a little. "I presume you've heard the news."

Kris nodded. "It didn't bother me much, but everyone at school who lived through the first one was distressed and emotional, in one way or another."

Dr Silverfox sighed, walking past his son and to a waiting electric steamer. "I feared as much, given what I saw at the University," he said, as he put down a bag full of shopping, a distinctly fishy smell coming from it. "How is Ash?"

"Angry, annoyed, and a bit tetchy. I think he'll be okay. But we all need to keep an eye on him."

"Yes," his father noted sadly, as he filled the bottom of the steamer with water and turned it on, starting the warm up. He then got out a plate, unwrapped a red mullet, and placed it on. "It reminds me of a conversation I had with your aunt. About him."

"Oh, okay. That sounds interesting."

"It was," he agreed, as he got out some slices of pickled ginger and a mix of herbs, placing them on the fish or in its gutted belly. He then turned to wash his paws. "She ended up comparing you two to ice and fire."

"I see where that comes from."

He nodded in agreement before sighing. "He burns bright and thick and strong, but he flickers and can be put out. You're solid, things slide off of you, you're firm and steady. It's also an apt way of describing your personalities."

Kris smiled. "Sounds fairly accurate."

"Mmmm-Hmmm," his father hummed in agreement as he dried his paws, before getting out some baby potatoes and a few other vegetables. He began washing, peeling and cutting them. "But fire flickers, and it can be snuffed out, while it takes a lot of heat and effort to melt ice." He paused, looking back at Kris. "It's good that you two came to be friends, in the end… He needs them."

"I'll be there for him," Kris said, smiling.

"I knew you always would be," his father replied proudly. The vegetables ready, he fried them in a pan with butter and garlic for just a little bit before transferring them onto the same plate as the fish. The steamer was boiling away nicely now, so he put the plate in the top and set a timer for ten minutes while Kris began setting the table.

Soon, they enjoyed a meal together. Dipping bits of fish and vegetables into some sauces they'd got out on the side, savouring the taste. The father and son talked about what they'd worked on and what they'd learned, each one finding entertainment and education in the other's stories.

It was a good time for both of them.

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* * *

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Mrs Fox set about reheating half of a thick meaty pie that they'd last had two nights ago. It was a cheap one, lots of vegetables such as peas and leeks along with some of their own chicken, all in a light sauce made from stock from the carcass and some cream. She'd seasoned it well, with plenty of salt, pepper, tarragon and even some horseradish, and it still tasted good when reheated. The crust, though made with margarine, was thick, soft, and buttery. Plentiful too, as she always made enough to go down the sides and under the bottom, rather than just doing a lid.

She'd also asked her son to help out, though tonight it was just peeling potatoes to make mash. He did so, then when told he cut them up and put them in boiling water. Then came draining them, putting in more of the margarine along with some mustard, before he mashed it all up.

Finally, all foxes agreed that a tin of baked beans would be a nice side dish. Opening it up, Mrs Fox turned on the gas and got the stove going. The tin open, she poured them in, stirring it all about as it heated up. Ash, on request, set out the table, Mr Fox arriving there and sitting down. She looked back at it all, smiling as she saw that her son seemed okay. The idea of him going out on his father's 'missions' did raise her nerves a bit, they always did slightly when he was just going out by himself. She'd wish that he could just quit them, though, ultimately, she did know that they'd struggle without the meat and money it brought in. To quote her nephew, she had deeply mixed feelings about it all.

Not helped by the fact that she was once like him, wanting to live and hunt, only for it to come crashing down when she became responsible for another life. That, and on hearing that an ordinary day for an old friend had turned out to be his last. Those things had changed her. They hadn't changed him though.

As she watched, her paw slowly relaxed and, before she knew it, it slipped. She hissed in pain as it glanced the flames, before she shook it clean.

"You okay dear?" he asked.

"Fine," she replied, before frowning. A little ember still glowed on her fur. She touched it, to snuff it out, but it started glowing again. A second time, the same result. Her finger, still hurting just a bit from the slight burn, needed a bit of attention. So, as she asked Ask to get everything to the table, she went to the freezer and pulled out an ice cube. Touching it against the burn, it went damp and finally died, even if she had to use overkill to do so. She then tossed the bit of ice into the sink, where it smashed, and walked over to the meal. Everything was plated up and the family eagerly tore in.

Afterwards, after a bit of nagging, Ash went upstairs to do some homework. He had some stuff due tomorrow, some stuff in for the day after that, so he cleared those. There was an essay question for science, requiring some referencing, which he pushed through despite the boredom. Some music was on in the background, something that made it all easier for him, the tunes stopping his mind from wandering too far.

Eventually, all was done, and it was time to do something fun. He briefly went down to a little cupboard beneath his bed, fixed closed with a padlock. He thought about indulging in the stuff in there, but though he wanted to, he pushed himself away. He was trying to get away from it.

Instead, he went over to his comic notes, deciding to have a look through and storyboard where it was going next. He had some funky ideas, for instance doing a lot of chopping up of the timeline in a big fight scene, making things a bit different to build up to the giant reveal at the end.

He liked the idea of surprising the readers.

The whole set up of their comic was that the two main characters, Sech the Sage and Wessly Wiggler, were underappreciated workers at the Hero's Association. The organisation ran many investigations similar to the police, had a military wing and took in super-powered children who had problems with their powers. They were beloved by the populace, and the readers, but they were secretly rotten to the core.

That had been Ash's idea, that they'd slowly been expanding their power, building out, and the Association's leader was corrupt. Kris had agreed that the bait-and-switch would be fun to do and had spent a week researching various real-life facist regimes. Noting down their speeches, their moves to gain power, and building up a powerful narrative where they took control.

Ash had liked it, but he also didn't. It was well-done, well-worn, well-executed… It was a brilliant layout that hit all the high notes, there was no denying it. But he'd seen the story ten-thousand times and more and, on a guess, suggested they do a taking of power 'like in China, or that doomsday cult near Bunnyburrow, or something...'

It had only been a shot in the dark, but Kris suggested that Ash could research it, and that he did. He poked around, read a book or two, and came up with his own plot. Kris enjoyed it, so he took it and embellished it, helping to fill in the gaps and really polishing it up to the highest standard. Pointing out new opportunities for symbolism, ways to improve character arcs, or set up foreshadowing, all turning a great idea into a brilliant one.

The public might say that they love the hero association, but how much of that was because they were scared of being turned against by everyone else for saying otherwise? Older heroes regularly had verbal abuse hurled at them, that they weren't 'good enough' guys. They were often dragged in front of crowds, made to confess as to how they weren't more of a hero, and how they'd used their powers for personal gain. Just wanting to use your powers for innocent self-benefit was something the leader, in his public speeches, had made almost as much of a social taboo as outright villainy. Many times, the mammals being harassed would confess to things they didn't do to placate the mob, sometimes they'd end up believing it. Those that tried to argue were shut out, shouted down and discredited.

It would all be blowing into the open soon, when the heroes discovered the extent of the corruption. The fact that the Hero Association's policies were making things such as the economy so much worse than it was in other places, the fact that innocent mammals had been framed for 'the greater good', and how some of the young students were blackmailed and manipulated with fear. Then, the whole cast that was built up would start splitting into sides, and the big show down would begin in earnest.

Ash had been looking forwards to getting that down for ages.

Music on, pencil in paw, his mind deep in thought.

He began in eagerly.

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* * *

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After finishing off the last of his comic work, Kris settled down with his father to watch a film. He'd been warming up to the point of feeling a pant coming on, so he stripped off his jumper and was back in a shirt. Together with his father, they watched the movie they'd picked out, a well renowned foreign language feature (as usual) which had been subtitled.

Together they enjoyed it. Afterwards, they talked about it.

Things were getting late.

Kris went into his own bathroom and turned the shower on, quickly washing himself in nice hot water. Then into the fur dryer, standing in it as it dried him out. Out again, in his pajamas, he sat with his father on the warm balcony as they practiced yoga and meditated.

Together they calmed down, reflected on the day behind them and exercised themselves.

Their muscles feeling well tested afterwards, they stood up. Kris gave his father one last hug, always a nice thing after their long time apart, before he retired to his bedroom. Slipping under his thin sheet, something he'd only recently gotten used to as compared to thicker duvets, he lay his head on a smaller pillow and wrapped his arms and legs around a larger one. The feeling was a perfect replacement for the normal thick and heavy weight that he'd previously slept under.

The lights were out.

The efforts and trials of the day caught up to him.

He drifted off to sleep.

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* * *

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In his house, after cleaning his teeth, Ash said goodnight to his parents, giving both a quick wave. He then hugged his mother for some unknown reason. Maybe he was growing out of his thick teenage angst? Whatever it was, he said goodnight to his parents and headed up into his room. Stripping down to his boxers, he turned off the light and, guided by his night vision, climbed up into his bed.

Things had happened that day.

Good things.

Bad things.

But things were good.

Bar the morning, he was looking forward to tomorrow. He was looking forward to the future.

.

.

.

.

.

A flashlight turned on and Ash, sitting himself up in his bed, pulled out his copy of _White Cape_. He still had a chapter to finish after all.

.

.

.

**AN: And there we go. A full day in the life of Ash Fox and Kristofferson Silverfox. It was certainly a very fun and gentle thing to write, and I hope you all enjoyed it. Dropping a comment (even a little one) is always super appreciated and puts a big smile on my face. **

**As for next time…**

**We finally get around to properly introducing some characters who I'm certain you've all been looking forwards to. Subscribe to the series on Fanfic or here on A03, so you don't miss out on FFoZ series 1, episode 4…**

**AGGRETOPIA (RAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRR!)**


	10. AGGRETOPIA 1 (RAAAGGGEEE!)

**FFoZ S1E4**

**AGGRETOPIA (RRRRAAAAAWWWWRRRRRRRRRRR!)**

**.**

**.**

**Hello readers! Welcome back to this slightly earlier release. For my fanfic readers, there is a little easter egg on the A03 version, just an fyi. Another quick**** fore note, I tend to be a sub watcher rather than a dub watcher, which may influence how I interpret and present some of the characters. I'd be interested to see if any Dub watchers can feel the differences where present.**

**.**

**.**

**Chapter 1.**

**.**

With a jolt and a shudder, a packed ZTN bus pulled up outside Trip Street Station, the mammals who were rammed inside getting pushed up against each other like a set of trapped dominoes almost ready to fall. The door opened, feet moved, and smaller mammals tried to exit from their under-seat seating areas and navigate the larger footfalls, dodging and sideswiping and running, all to get out before the bus moved on to its next stop.

Coming out of her tightly packed seating area, which was too small for her anyway but the only option regardless, a young and tired red panda joined the fray. Her name was Retsuko and as she exited, making sure her tail wasn't trodden on as she went, she grumbled to herself. She was having an even worse day than usual. A few feet knocked into her, and her simmering anger simmered more and more, bitter at every single little petty frustration that her morning commute had decided to throw at her.

Finally, though, she managed to leap out of the bus, find a semi-open area near the stop and take a breather.

A little, innocent, totally not trying to hold in the pure rage boiling inside of her breather…

…

That would do. Off she went, on a little journey through the rising towers of downtown, hoping desperately that she wouldn't be late. All the while, she kept her mind at ease by indulging in her old stress relief technique. When the going got tough, and she wasn't in a place where no-one could hear her, she merely screamed death metal lyrics into her mind.

"_STUPID TRANSIT SYSTEM IS ALL DOWN! WITH CRAZY PRICES IS A SCAM!_

_SAAAAARRRRDDDDIIIINNNNNEEEE CAAAAANNNNNNSSSSSSSSS!_

_WHY DO I PAY FOR SHITTY TRAINS! WHERE IS THE NORTH-SOUTH LINE!_

_WHY WASN'T IT IN YOUR DESIGN. HERE I AM, USING CRAPPY TRAMS!_

_THAT BREAK DOOOOOWWWWNNNN! THAT BREAK DOOOOOWWWWNNNNN!"_

…

Much better.

It was cathartic, but not quite as much as it could have been. She so desperately wanted to scream them out at the top of her lungs; just uncork that pressure valve entirely and let it go.

She'd have to wait for just a little bit longer before she could. Same on the way back home. For a week at least! The problem was simple. The Zootopian transit system was made up of loop lines that circled around the climate districts, the shared downtown, and in some cases the entire city. The trouble with that was that the big commercial centres of Savannah Central, where many mammals worked, happened to either be in the downtown area or around watering hole plaza, clustering around the Peak Street or Savannah Central transit hubs respectively. Which would be okay, except for the fact that the designers of the Metro had the inner downtown loop completely separate from the other lines on its western side.

Coming in from Tundratown or Sahara square, the inner loop was well connected. However, if coming in from the Rainforest or Savannah Central, the latter being her home, you'd have to divert to the other side of the city to transfer.

Work had recently started on the missing piece, the north-south line, which would go up from Savannah Central/Watering Hole (taking over the two halves of the Animalia Line below it), through the old natural history museum station and then up to Troop street where it would split; one half going straight to Peak Street, joining up and taking over the small Snowcastle Line into Tundratown, while the other would pass through Hill Street, up to Marshland hub in the Rainforest District and then take over the Rainforest Loop at Vine street. Simple, simple, simple, and all a decade at least from completion. Which was more than a decade from when she needed it.

Which would be okay, given that a very busy tram line travelled from Grass Street (on the outer loop) to Flock Street (on the inner), where it then split to go to the two big business centres.

It usually was okay, if a little crowded…

But an elephant had driven into the bridge that carried the trams into and out of the depot, trapping them in there and meaning that she, and everyone else who made this trip, had to use a stupid shaky overcrowded bus instead.

And that made her angry, as if her day wasn't dull enough already. To add insult to injury, she'd been planning something nice for later on. This was supposed to be a happy day!

She sighed, rubbing her temples.

Maybe today wasn't the day to try that thing?

After all, it wasn't like she had a good track record with relationships, was it?

First, she'd fallen for a fellow red panda at work, but it turned out that she'd looked at him through rose-colored glasses and hadn't seen the real him. He wasn't mean or cruel or anything, but it was hard to call him anything at all. He was blank, emotionless, and didn't give her anything back. No sense of love, or protection, or care, or passion. It had bummed her out hard when she'd realised the truth, and it would have taken her a long time to recover.

And then her mother began trying to be a matchmaker for her. By all means, the polar bear she was set up with could have been fantastic, but that time she wasn't ready. She let him go, but by the time she changed her mind it was too late.

Then came the third strike. It was like a prince charming story. She became friends with an airhead, who then turned out to be a rich genius. She'd loved him, he'd loved her, she could leave her job and be free and almost did, but for one cruel twist. He didn't believe in marriage. They could be partners, but not husband and wife. She'd almost gone with him and quit her job anyway, but in one of his rare moments of wisdom, her overbearing boss had asked her if she was just doing what he wanted her to do, and what he'd do for her in return. A confrontation followed. It was tense and emotional, but they had both been firmly rooted in their position on the marriage issue.

She'd left, single again.

But, this time, she didn't feel bummed out. She felt sad for what could have been, certainly, but she looked back on their brief time as a fun one. It rejuvenated her. It also made her think about what she actually wanted. She wanted someone who'd be happy to follow her dreams, if she'd do likewise for him. Someone who'd show affection for her, who understood her issues and emotions well. Someone who cared for her, deeply. It had hit her hard, but she knew who that mammal was. After her first relationship had ended, a question had been asked in a hospital room, a question she'd respectfully said no to. Nothing personal, she just needed time to recover. But she felt recovered now, and, last night, she'd decided it was time to say yes to that question.

She perked up. She'd been having a bad day today, but he'd been in a sorrier state when he'd asked, hadn't he? At least it would brighten things up if it all went well.

If it didn't?

Well, in that case, it would be all on her.

Whatever the day would bring, in its frustrated and boring ways, she'd endure it. Looking up, she saw her office building, the eternally dull Yakatomi Plaza, and stepped inside. Waiting for a lift. Finding one, but having to crowd in. Tight, frustrated, she glanced at her watch, sighing with relief as she realised she'd just about make it.

"Come on," she whispered, getting more hopeful as they rose. "No more delays… I can make it."

Finally, she was almost alone with just those who worked on her floor! Just Kabae, the big gossip filled hippo; Mashashiro, the armadillo; Anai, the Japanese-badger graduate; and Bob, the camel.

Retsuko didn't really know Bob that well. In any case, he was getting off at one of the floors below hers, and then it would be the home straight! She watched hopefully as he crossed the threshold, turning and…

"Hey, Bob!" Kabae suddenly said, stepping forwards so that she blocked the door from closing. "You'll never know what I heard!"

_Oh no…_

"Listen," he said, "I need to…"

"But it'll only take a moment!" she teased.

_Oh no no no no!_

"Fine. We'll talk and walk then."

_YESSSSS!_

"Oh no, I can't," she said, as the doors tried to close but aborted again. "I need this lift to get up, you see. But it'll only take a moment."

_AAAAAAAAAARRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!_

"What is it?"

"Well you've heard this joke that no birds and reptiles are sentient, even though I know a Komodo dragon and a secretary bird…"

"Who said that? Next they'll be saying apes like Gori went extinct. They sound even madder than those jokers who say that all the thylacines are gone."

"I know right… You see, I heard it from a friend at my daughters daycare, she works as a professional light shade fitter, and she heard it from…."

_TAKE YOUR GOSSIP OUT ON THE FLOOR! _

_STOP BLOCKING THE LIFT DOORS! _

_WASTE OF SPAAAACCCCEEEEEEEE! _

_WASTE OF SPAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEE!_

.

.

Finally. FIVE MINUTES after she could have been there, she arrived at her floor with Kabae and Anai. Maybe, just maybe, it couldn't be so…

"WHAT TIME DO YOU CALL THIS YOU LITTLE SQUIRT!"

-Bad.

Director Ton looked down at her, the hulking pig fuming. She could see a fully pulsating vein on his forehead, and she couldn't help but shrink in his presence. Still, at least just this once, she had an excuse.

"Kabae held up the lift to spread pointless gossip," she said, pointing at the hippo. Snitches may get stitches but, on this one occasion, everything was on her.

"Oh, it wasn't pointless," she cooed, going up to the impatient pig. "You see…"

"You'll tell me it later!" he scolded. "If it's good enough, maybe I'll let you off this time!"

"Oh, it is," she replied, before walking off. "See you soon."

Ton grumbled a bit, before looking down at Anai.

"I deeply apologise for my delay, sir!" the young graduate chirped, giving the pig a salute.

"Accepted. You can go," Ton said, before sighing with relief and glancing back to Retsuko. "Think he's not going to be set off?" he asked, a hint of worry, if not fear, in his voice.

She, knowing exactly what he was talking about, nodded. "I don't think so."

The director sighed with relief. "Thank God."

Retsuko relaxed alongside him, seeing his improving mood, hopeful that…

"You're still late!"

"But…"

"You should have factored in the fact that women like you always like to spout pointless gossip! You should have seen it coming and planned accordingly!"

"There was the tram problem too…"

"You should have left home earlier!"

"And there was more traffic, and…"

"LEFT! EARLIER!" he almost shouted, Retuko's ears drooping back sadly as he carried on his rant. "Too much time spent at home, putting on pointless things like fur highlights, and polishing up your claws, and all those stupid things women do to themselves to just make them look prettier than they really are." He looked at her and huffed. "I won't write you up…"

Retsuko blinked, before letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir, I…"

"IF!" he carried on, a malicious grin growing on his face. "You come in one hour early and polish up all my golf equipment," he said, before letting out a sickening laugh. "Not one minute late. And polish them up good." He carried on laughing as he walked off, leaving Retsuko to feel waves of sadness crashing into her.

It just wasn't fair…

So, with her tail dragging behind her, she dumped herself onto her chair, got her laptop up and going, opened her spreadsheet and, against a backwash of oncoming dreariness and upcoming boredom, began work. New clients, old clients, new investments, old investments, all to start sifting through.

Today was going to be a long day.

.

.

…

"I heard Ton chewing you out."

"Huh?" she hummed, before looking over to her co-worker, Fenneko. The fennec vixen was quickly typing her way through the morning's work, though her ears were peeled to the side, ready to hear the response.

"Yeah," Retusko sighed, turning back to her work. "What's worse is that it's Kabae's fault! Ton even knew it, and will probably just let her go lightly." She looked down and sniffed. "Meanwhile I get punished. Again! As if things aren't already bad enough."

"That's because you don't stick up for yourself," Anai noted, as he worked away on her other side. "People in power will try and push you around, you shouldn't give them an inch, or they'll take a mile."

In some ways, she agreed with the younger grad. However, she didn't feel strong enough to stand up like that, and nowhere near crazy enough to take it to the lengths he could. But still… She hated it sometimes. The bullying. The frustration. She could have quit, and been free and rich if she'd left with that tech guru Tadano, yet… Well, they wanted different things, didn't they? It wouldn't have worked. Ton had pressed her on that, getting her to check that it would lead to what _she_ wanted, before she handed in her resignation. Something that a man had wanted her to do without understanding her…

But in the end, she'd just followed the instructions of another man, one who was far meaner to her, hadn't she? The thing was, she liked following instructions, she liked having things to do and being kept occupied, but it didn't have to suck, did it? Sometimes she felt that she should move on, though then again that would mean leaving her friends. Haida and Fenneko, Gori and Washimi… She wasn't sure what she wanted, bar a happy marriage in the future and respect, but whatever it was it involved her friends.

"My new inspirational quote for the day has come in," Fenneko said. "Paul McCatney: Take a sad song and make it better. I'm pretty sure that's relevant to your situation."

"Uh-hu," she said, nodding her head. Maybe she would. She slipped herself off her chair and began making her way to the break room. A nice recharging green tea would do her good. She strolled in there alone, getting the tea bag out and boiling the kettle and, as she waited, she heard someone enter.

"Oh. Excuse me Retsuko. Mind if I pick up a spoon?"

"Sure Ookami," she said, picking out one from the drawer and handing it up to her senior co-worker. She looked up at the maned wolf, who just seemed to be standing there, and rolled her eyes.

He was going to do his regular thing, wasn't he?

She knew what he was going to ask her, so she might as well get it over with. "How much…?"

"Um, pardon?"

"How much do you need me to lend you?" she asked, her voice tired. She turned back to her tea, pouring the now boiled kettle into her mug. As she did so though, she realised that Ookami was chuckling lightly.

"I don't need to borrow anything, thank you. I've actually found a fun way to earn money on the side now."

"Huh? That sounds nice…"

"It's actually for the ZPD," he noted, sounding a bit proud for himself. "I just provide cover to drop off that fox cop from the Night Howler case. Let's him infiltrate and take down some nasty mammals!"

"How does that work?" she asked, pausing as she looked up to him. Either Ookami was passing as a very large fox, or said fox cop… Rick Wild wasn't it? -played a young maned wolf. The latter seemed more likely, and the whole thing sounded rather interesting.

"Well, he poses as a mute maned wolf cub, about two or three years old, and I act as his father. We simply drop him off at places where cub abuse is suspected. He spends the day posing there, gathering evidence and, by the end, clears them or sets them free"

"Wow!" she exclaimed, genuinely impressed.

Ookami held a definite smug aura about him, and chuckled a few times. "They pay me for my part, and it does feel good to be making the world a better place."

"Right," she agreed. Stirring her tea around, she pulled out the bag and tossed it into a waiting bin. "What's he like, by the way?"

"Oh, Nick Wilde? Very nice mammal. They all are. Seemed to love their job as much as I like mine… Speaking of which, I better get back to it."

Retsuko nodded, expecting him to leave right there and then, only to pause as he came forwards.

"Oh. For all the help you gave me every time I did need a small loan," he said, handing her a twenty-buck bill. "Treat yourself." Then, with a quick wave, he was off. Retsuko watched him go before she grabbed her mug, went to one of the break areas, and settled down. Taking the odd sips of her green tea, she felt calmer. Happier. While Ookami wasn't a close friend, she did like him, and was happy that he both enjoyed his current job and his little adventures.

"Little adventures," she pondered quietly. Maybe she should try and get into that? Maybe she'd enjoy it too, far more than here. Making the world a better place?

That sounded good.

.

…

Putting down her mug as she emptied it, she shook her head. If anything, it would be like that offer of starting an import store with her friend Puko. Lots of promises, but then a cold hard reality that hit her where it hurt and trapped her, as always, in her current position. With a sad sigh, she returned the mug to the dishwasher. Making the world a better place seemed nice. But, for now and likely ever, she'd be stuck checking other mammals accounts and taxes.

She walked back into her office, ready to put her tail to the bellows again, only to notice that something was a bit wrong. There was an odd feeling in the air, like a funeral wake had just had an existential crisis…

She sat back down between Fenneko and Anai, pausing as she heard nothing coming from the little fox. "Did I miss anything?"

The vixen turned to look at her, a blank look on her face. "Check the news."

"Ummm, okay," she said, a bit nervous as she opened up her browser and went onto zoogle news, wondering what the headlines would…

…

Oh….

…

"Excuse me a second," she said, grabbing her hand bag and slipping of her chair. "Just need some time… In the back."

"That sounds fair."

Off Retsuko went, leaving the others to just contemplate the sudden and dark news that they'd all heard. Night Howlers could be returning. Savage mammals could be returning.

Standing up, at the front of the office, Ton looked at all of them. "I'd like to think of myself as a tough but fair leader, of all of you," he said firmly. "So… -I think you've had long enough to process this! Get back to work. It'll keep your mind off of it!"

Fenneko grumbled a little, before loading up her spreadsheets again, forcing herself to type away. She didn't like Ton, and he was a pig and she a fennec. This news meant entirely different things to both of them, and she guessed that it would too unreasonable to expect him to get a predator's view point. Then again, say what you like about his sexism, at least he never said as much as a peep against preds during the first incident. Almost annoyingly, his stop moping strategy even seemed to be working. It was an irritating trait with him, being incredibly right at the odd important juncture of an underling's life. Of course, under no situation, what so ever, would she or anyone ever tell him tha…

"Wow!" Tsunoda, the eternal toady-in-gazelle's-clothing, gawped out. "It's working! I'm feeling far better already!"

Using his advice once again, albeit to ignore his self-flattery and boasting, Fenneko dug herself deep into her work. On she typed, her sensitive ears perking slightly as she heard some screaming in the background. It rang on for a bit, before ending, and she smiled. "Five… Four… Three… Two… One…"

"Sorry about that," Retsuko greeted, as she returned back. Sitting down, she rubbed her temples, before starting work once again. "What do you think of all this, by the way?"

"I'll be requesting immediate training and help for our psychological states," Anai said, trembling slightly at his desk. "We… We…" he began, before slumping down on his keyboard, sniffing slightly. "I'm scared."

"Anai?"

"I'm… I'm…" he sobbed, and Retsuko couldn't help but see him tremble. Reaching out a paw to comfort him, she patted him a few times before feeling his paw reach around hers, holding it tightly for comfort. She placed her other paw on top, and looked into his eyes, a sad shared solidarity between them. Truth be told, she was a little scared herself.

"Naturally nervous," Fenneko admitted, joining in. "But I have a strong confidence that the bad guys and most of the howlers will be mostly caught up in a week or two."

"Huh? That soon?"

"Once the cops know what they're looking for, they'll be able to find it."

"You… -You think?" Anai asked, looking up, the fennec nodding back.

Retsuko nodded too, as she let go of the younger badger. "Glad you have faith," she said, only to sigh. On she typed, tapping and tapping away, all until it was time for an early lunch.

.

.

"-I mean, I hope other mammals won't be as mean to me as last time…"

Retsuko nodded, a hint of concern in the back of her mind, as she listened on to a certain, very, very important co-worker of hers. Haida, a spotted hyena with three big snaggleteeth; currently dressed in black trousers, a white shirt and a red tie, all smart and neat. They'd been friends for a long time and he'd even asked her out after he'd recovered from a bad case of pneumonia before Christmas. Hot off the tail of a failed relationship, and worried about rebounding, she'd declined then, but despite that he'd still been kind and stilled stood up for her with her other friends. It had been a while since then, though. Time to think. Time to recover. Time to reconsider.

"I think I can agree with you there," Fenneko said.

"It's a bit different for you though, isn't it?" he queried. "You're still small and cute, and I'm… I'm not… aren't I?"

"Hey, Haida," Retsuko said, noticing him flinch ever so slightly as she said his name. "I didn't really have anything thrown at me back then, so I can't be help there. But I'll be there to help you through this."

He stared at her for a second or two, twitching a bit as his tail gave a few odd wags. "Oh, uh…" he stuttered, before relaxing into a warm smile. "Thanks, Retsuko."

"Yeah," she said, as they reached their chairs and tables. Home-cooked food, purchased from Anai, was already waiting for them. She breathed in, a bit worried. Was now the right time? Was…

"You know," he said. "I met this Canidean kid on the bus this morning. Silver fox kit, moved over here recently."

"Sounds interesting," Fenneko replied, as she brought out her phone and began tapping away.

"Anyway," the hyena carried on. "He seemed really happy to talk about where he came from. It seemed like me asking him made his day!"

"_Aaaawww_," Retsuko cooed. "That sounds nice."

"Yeah," he chuckled, before his happy look faded. "Then I sorta blew it."

"Huh?"

"I mentioned how I wouldn't like the cold, since I'd just recovered from my pneumonia…"

"That was last year," Fenneko deadpanned, not looking up as she carried on typing on her phone.

"Well… _Relatively_ just," he replied, looking up into the corner of the room. "But it really worried him. Turns out the whole reason he moved here was because his father got it, but far worse. He moved to be with family, then his father moved." He sighed, sadly. "Probably messed him up for a bit, today. And then this news…"

"You likely triggered him, maybe even causing a minor panic attack," Fenneko deadpanned. "That, combined with various factors such as seasonal dissociative disorder from such a large move, ongoing cultural stress, academic stress from modern school life, increased pressure from social media, topped off by the news of night howlers being back in play, could result in a variety of mental health complications. From panic attacks to developing paranoia and schizophrenia, culminating in possible self-harm or even suicide." The fennec put down her phone and looked up at the gawking hyena. "Good job, hero."

"I…" he gasped, before shaking his head. "Fenneko! You know morbid stuff like that isn't funny!"

"I can only disagree," she said, returning to her phone. "In any case, it seems that Kristofferson Silverfox is actually quite happily integrated into Zootopia, so no worries, as of yet."

"Phew…" he said, before shaking his head. "That's such a relief, I didn't even find it creepy that you tracked down his name. Also, you tracked down his name!?"

She showed him a picture of the furbook page of one Remmy Packson, a captioned picture inset. It showed the eponymous wolf, his brother, and a familiar looking silver fox.

"You tracked down his name…" he noted.

"You gave me more than enough information," she replied, busily tapping on her phone.

Haida couldn't help but look at it and sigh, before turning to Retsuko and shrugging. "Heh… Anyway, I guess that's the last time I try and befriend a stranger."

"I don't think so," Retsuko said softly. "I think it was a nice thing to do. You just got unlucky."

"Hmmm…" he nodded. "Maybe. Maybe. Maybe I just need more time to think things over, and get ready again. We'll see."

.

…

A deep breath in, her nerves calming, Retsuko spoke out. "About that…"

"About what?"

"Needing more time to think things over, and get ready again."

"Hmmm? What about it?"

Retsuko opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a teasing Fenneko, her eyes laser set on the red panda. "Damn. No-one to set up a betting pool with."

"A betting pool about what?" All three turned, spotting a familiar pink hippo/gossip magnet just standing there. Kabae…

Retsuko gave Fenneko an immediate death glare. "Don't you even think about it!"

"Think about what?" the hippo pressed, coming up right up and personal.

Fenneko just laughed. "HA-HA-HA-HA-HA…"

The little red panda grumbled. A perfect moment ruined… Finishing the last of her food, she slipped off her chair. "I'm going for a walk outside, get some fresh air," she muttered, before walking out. She hoped to bump into Gori or Washimi, but they must have been elsewhere. All she saw was one of the latter's shed feathers.

Slipping into the lift, she pressed the ground floor button, only realising when she got there that she could have asked Haida along to join with her. That could wait just a bit longer though, she guessed.

Right now, she needed fresh air, sunlight on her fur, and a secluded area or something where she could scream out her frustrations in a death metal tirade of rage. Little did she know that a certain mammal had spotted her and her plight and had taken off after her.

.

**AN: I hope you all enjoyed my first foray into the world of Aggretsuko, and the mercliess ship teasing it presents (muhaha...). Next chapter will drop a bit earlier, likely on Thursday, so hopefully you won't be teased for too long. In any case, I put a lot of work into them, so dropping a comment (even a little one) is always super appreciated and puts a big smile on my face. Thanks, and looking forwards to next time.**


	11. AGGRETOPIA 2 (MORE RAGE?)

**Aggretopia. Chapter 2:**

**.**

**AN: Good news everyone. In celebration of the introductions being completed, I've posted a new chapter to the one-shots and drabbles collection. 'Whack Battle' involves a bunch of the gang going to play the eponymous sport from Fantastic Mr Fox.**

**Many kudos to Bluelighthouse, who helped make that fic (which may have a crossover with some of his work) possible.**

**In addition, the chapter includes a cast list for the characters introduced so far, just in case anyone is getting a bit lost with everything. **

**Any, while you can check out that chapter, there's this one too! The A03 version also contains another fun pic somewhere in it.**

.

.

Finding a little area to walk around, Retsuko began doing some light stretches in place. Nimbling around here and there, trying to lean on her more socially acceptable, albeit not quite as cathartic as death metal karaoke, yoga.

Her heart leapt as she saw what looked like a secluded alley nearby though, on approach, she saw a few shop workers in there.

Nowhere private for her, then

In that case, she'd just catch up on some fresh air, and return to work. Just another long…

"Hello there."

"Huh?" She muttered, pausing as she turned to see the source of the voice. It was a relaxed looking red fox, dressed in a loose fitting green jacket, the front unzipped to show his belly fur, along with a blue pair of shorts. With a white band on the top of his head, he looked like the relaxed kind of mammal she'd expect to see at her yoga lessons… Or lesson, given that he'd leave after finding out just what kind of instructor she had.

"Sorry to bother you…"

"-No worries, Mr…"

"Tsunekichi," he said, Retsuko smiling at the nice name. "Though you can call me Redd."

"Hi then, Redd," she greeted, before pausing. Looking around. "Are you looking for directions, or…?'"

"I'm actually here to try and help out poor, stressed out, mammals," he replied with a smile. He opened up his coat, revealing little bags of relaxing scents, tea bags, and a few other things. "You seemed to be a bit sore in the pads, no?"

"I…" she began, only to shake her head. "Thank you very much for the offer. But I don't think there's much you can do to help." She looked down and sighed. "All those old herbs and stuff were for when mammals didn't have to deal with boring desk jobs or shitty bosses."

There was a light chuckle from him. "I don't just deal in herbs and medicines. I think you'll find I'm a Tod of all ages. Now, are you able to listen to music while working?"

She let out a little laugh. "Not likely, no. My boss says women can't multitask."

"Hmmmm," the fox mused. "I always thought it was the other way around. Well, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, stop fooling me!"

Retsuko laughed hard, before looking on in curiosity as he brought a little vacuum wrapped packet out. Inside were two components. One was like a USB stick, short and stubby. The other was a little earbud, with no cord. "What is that?"

"Secret wireless radio," he said. "Plug the drive in, set up a link to your favourite station, sneak the speaker in your ear and then work on. Time will pass twice as fast!"

She gasped at it, looking on in awe. If this were true… If she could…

She sighed. No… It would probably be far too expensive, and…

"Only twenty bucks…"

Before he could even react, a bill was in his paw and the box in hers. "Thank you!" She cheered, hopping and skipping away. She held her new gift to herself. A gift paid off with Ookami's tip no less! She still had some trepidation, with her luck the gizmo might not work for a start, maybe being a complete dud. But as she plugged it in and set it up, tuning to her favourite heavy metal station, she smiled with glee.

It worked!

It actually worked!

Soon, the afternoon began flying by, no one else the wiser.

Bar a certain fennec.

She looked at her friend and nodded, before carrying on. While the music wasn't to her taste, and wasn't worth the risk in her opinion, she'd be lying if she said she was unhappy about it.

After all, Retsuko may have been taking all the risks, but thanks to her large ears she could reap the reward.

.

.

A quick check on her emails, and the red panda had to double check the time.

It really was that late!

"Two more hours, no problem," she said, as she opened her message from Director Ton. Short, simple and thankfully painless. She just had to double check some figures for a priority client.

Easy-peasy. It all was. She opened the file up and began sifting through, thinking as she went. This was far more enjoyable, and it wasn't harming anyone. In fact, it was likely making her more productive! It was a breeze sifting through the papers.

_Sifting through…_

The music let her focus and just made her day better. Yet, normally, it wouldn't be allowed, which was sad in a way.

_Sifting through…_

In fact, why should it be that way? A feeling of determination pushed through her as she worked.

_Sifting through…_

She deserved better. Her friends deserved better. It wasn't even big stuff like wages, it was just little niceties that made everything run nicer. Better. Haida, Fenneko, and herself all deserved that!

_Sifting…_

_Sif..._

…

"Huh," she murmured. She took out both parts of her secret radio and stashed them away, letting herself focus. Just a dumb mistake that…

…

"This is real," she gasped.

"What is?"

Retsuko turned to Fenneko and gestured her over. The little vixen did a quick scan.

Then redid it.

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA…."

"So, you see it too."

"Yes," she said, before standing up and calling out. "Haida?"

Meanwhile, Retsuko turned to Anai. "Here, look over this."

"I've got my own work to do," he grumbled, before rolling his eyes after a few seconds. He then leant over, scrolled through the document in seconds, then returned back to his place of work. "That's something alright," he said, as a familiar hyena arrived.

"Fenneko. I don't want to hear about another calamity I've caused," Haida muttered, as he walked himself over.

"I think there's a calamity here, for sure," she said, gesturing to the screen.

He looked at it for a few seconds, before letting out a little guffaw. "Heh… He's boned."

"With that level of tax evasion, and the ZRCS getting involved, your understatements are probably too big to be funny anymore," the fennec noted.

"Yeah," Retusko said, looking on at the incriminating figures with morbid curiosity. She paused though, in thought. "Why would some idiot send us clearly un-doctored accounts?"

"Maybe whoever sent it was sleep deprived and sent the data before it got doctored," the hyena suggested. "Or… They just missed it."

"Makes sense," Retsuko said. "I mean Ton missed it."

Haida laughed. "That's because he probably didn't check it in the first place," he said, before pausing. "Shall I go get him?"

"Probably," she said with a sigh, as she watched Haida walked forwards. She had the mental image of a cute wolf pup about to jump into a car crusher, but shook it from her mind and looked through the data again. The flaws were obvious, and whoever they belong to would…

Hang on…

"No way," she said.

"What?" Fenneko asked.

"Doesn't that name ring a bell?"

She looked in closer. "I'm not sure."

"Think the nighthowler case! The original one! What do you remember?"

"I…" she began, before pausing. "I do remember now. Quite embarrassed I forgot, to be honest."

"I almost did too," Retsuko said, her mind flicking back to that talk with Ookami about Nick Wilde earlier. What would he think about this news?

Her musings were broken off though as Haida and Ton returned. "Mistake!" He scolded. "I don't make mistakes."

"I'm just saying," the hyena slowly and calmly explained, "that there's some interesting things you may have missed in the figures you sent Retsuko."

"Pah," he scolded. "I _don't_ make mistakes…" He then turned to Retsuko. "I didn't even send you anything!"

"But…"

"Be quiet and go back to work," he huffed. "And maybe stop your stupid delusions while you're at it." He then turned and marched away, leaving the three just standing there, gawking.

"Is it me," Haida began. "Or is he getting worse today?"

"The lack of a 'womanly' before the delusions actually suggests a small improvement," Fenneko countered, Retsuko nodding in agreement.

"That actually went better than expected."

"Yeah," Haida replied with a chuckle. He paused though as his eyes returned to Retsuko's figures. "I guess we'll just ignore those then. Lucky guy…"

Fenneko nodded, but the red panda besides her was paused in thought. Thinking. Remembering. Ookami's experience with the ZPD, and making the world a better place. Wanting to make a difference. Deserving better. Doing something that she, herself, truly wanted to do, not listening to and doing the instructions of anyone else. Just her, following her own path.

"No," she said out loud, suddenly piquing the others attention. Haida turned to face her.

"Retsuko?"

"Just because Ton wants to ignore it doesn't mean we have to," she said, picking out her own usb stick. Quickly plugging it in, she made a copy of the incriminating document before stashing it away. Her face was determined, and a little smile grew across her muzzle. She wasn't just some lowly worker any more, she was going to be a good guy. A hero! She closed her eyes, drifting off into a little headspace.

_LOWLY WORKER BRINGS IN CRIMINAL…_

_FIGHTING CRIIIIMMMMEEEEE!_

_FIGHTING CRIIIIMMMMEEEEE!_

Exiting it, she turned to Fenneko. "Where's the nearest tax lawyer or firm?" She asked.

Fenneko paused for a second, before bringing her phone out. A few taps later, and she turned to Retsuko. "Got one."

"Number?" She asked, her heart pounding with excitement. She noted it down then made her way to the storeroom where she made a call..

Returning back, she looked at her friends, trembling as she did so. "Us four have an appointment after work!"

"I need to go home and do some cooking," Anai pointed out, looking over. "And not only is this not on the job contract, but I don't think you need my help either." He then turned back to his work, and carried on typing. "Good luck though."

Retsuko looked at him, then at the others, nervously laughing. "Us _three_ have an appointment after work!"

Haida looked at Fenneko, and Fenneko looked at Haida. They shrugged at each other. Neither held the sudden hot-blooded passion that their co-worker did (though still some more than the office grad sitting next to them), but both had nothing better to do. They'd go along with this, regardless of their low enthusiasm.

A low enthusiasm that slowly began to rise as they arrived at an independent financial crimes investigative service. The actuary they met, a Jaguar who noted that he knew about this target from a certain friend called Judy Hopps, set them down. "I'll be honest, I'm amazed they made this kind of screwup. Over a million dollars, undeclared! And after so long to do it in!"

The three nodded, Haida chuckling. "Lack of sleep most likely. Sent the wrong form…"

The jaguar smiled darkly. "Too late to take it back now though! In any case, I've had certain high up mammals wanting me to catch our unsuspecting friend red pawed. You've done it! Now, once they get their guys in, they'll be able to dig up all the other, completely hidden, criminal activities that we all know is there!"

"Oh my," Haida gasped, before a smile grew on his muzzle. He gave a sudden fist bump before turning to Retsuko, who he high fived. "You just took down a criminal!"

She met his high five, before shaking with glee on the spot. "I know!" She said out loud. "I'm a hero!" She was. She really was. She'd done a bit extra, and helped the good guys! She'd caught a criminal. She wasn't just an office drone. She wasn't just following the advice and ideas of others. She'd wanted to make the world a better place, and she'd just done it! "I'm a real hero!"

"I must say you are," Fenneko noted. "Only a bit of investigation is needed to show how much of a reputation there is about our guy."

Haida snorted. "I'm surprised you didn't know already."

They were all then cut off by the Jaguar, who brought some forms out. "The Criminal Activity Disclosure Act will keep you anonymous and completely protected legally speaking. Moreover, the 'tax tattler' reward comes into play."

"Reward?" Retsuko asked, her ears perking up. She hadn't even considered a reward. She just thought she'd grab onto the high of doing this thing.

"Yes," the jaguar noted. "Fifty percent of the unpaid tax settlement. We'll take a portion as we're handling this though, as the forms state, it's only a small part. You get the majority which, split between the three of you, is about thirty thousand bucks each."

Three sets of faces gawked at them. Haida began descending into a laughing fit. Not simply ordinary laughs, but full on hyenid cackles.

Fenneko blinked. "Oh my…"

Retsuko just stood there awestruck. Amazed. That was about what she earned in a year… Thirty thousand… Thirty thousand! It wasn't life changing, but holy crap! Holy…. She shook and quivered, before leaping up in the air. "Yes! Yesssss! Yeeeesssssss!"

She turned to her other few workmates and hugged them tight. They hugged back. "I must say," Fenneko said. "You were right when you said we could be heroes. It's surprisingly profitable."

"Yeah!" Haida added. "Go team heroes. Let's celebrate!"

.

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Celebrate they did. They signed the documents, before heading off to a nearby bar and restaurant. Food and drink was purchased freely, spirits were high, and the friends were talking. Boasting. Singing.

Haida, drunk on success and alcohol, had broken out the karaoke machine. Fenneko nudged her red panda friend as he set it up. "Warning. I've been counting his alcohol intake. We're in uncharted waters."

Retsuko ignored her and listened on, her ears rising as a certain punky tune rung out, the hyena adding his own twist to the lyrics. "COGS IN THE MACHINE… THE FASCIST REGIME… THEY MAKE YOU PUNCH NUMBERS… DART YOU WITH HOWLERS!"

Retsuko looked on, chuckling happily at his enthusiastic antics. "I guess he's into punk rock then," she said, almost wistfully.

"Yeah" Fenneko slurred. "Nice match for your death metal."

In its alcohol soaked state, it took more than a few seconds for the red panda's brain to make the connection, and register the horror that came with it. "What!? How do you…?

They were cut off as an air guitar soloing Haida stumbled backwards into one of the speakers. Feet slipping from beneath him, he landed on his tail, letting out a cute whimper of pain.

Retsuko giggled, while Fenneko gave it her usual. "HA-HA-HA-HA-HA…"

"Not funny," he whined, walking over and sitting down onto a stool, only to slip off and land on his tail again. It got the same reaction from Fenneko, but a different one from Retsuko.

"You okay big guy?"

He nodded, getting up again, as he stared into her eyes. "Yeaahhhh…"

Retsuko nodded, happy, before turning back to Fenneko, panicked once more. "About that other thing. How do you know?" She pressed. "Have you been spying on me?"

Fenneko shrugged and pointed at her ears. "These aren't for show," she said.

Retsuko moved to scold her but gave up halfway through. Thanks to her inebriation, she didn't really care either way anymore. In fact… "Hey… Haida."

"Uh-hu…" he slurred.

"I… I have a secret," she said. "Want to hear it?"

He nodded up and down. "Okay."

"I like death metal," she said, giggling.

"Ha! I like punk rock," he agreed. He paused for a few seconds, before adding a little more. "But the death metal makes you even cuter."

Her eyes went wide and, if she could blush, her face would be extra red right now.

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA…"

"-Fenneko!" She scolded, before turning back to Haida. The Hyena was mumbling.

"Why do we work where we work?" he asked. "Why don't we move. That place with the jaguar sounded nice…"

"It did," Retsuko said dreamily. "You know, I didn't quit my job because I realised I need things to work for… I'm good at following instructions, having rules to follow, and I like you lot… But we can have that without a mean boss, and the boss there seems much nicer than Ton. If they were hiring, we should all move there. We deserve better, we all do!"

"All of us," the fennec added.

"Yeah," Retsuko said. "I don't want to be without my friends."

"Clingy Retsuko and drowsy existential Haida. Your next stages of drunkenness surprise me."

"Yeah," Haida mused. "But you will always be terrifying you."

"Thanks," she said. "I'd like it. Moving there… Tax investigators."

Haida raised a paw, chuckling. "Or detectives."

Retsuko giggled. "Not every problem is solved by becoming police officers…"

"But she'd be an amazing detective," he said. "You haven't seen what she can do on social media. Detective Fenneko…"

Retsuko chuckled. "Detective Fenneko…"

The fennec was paused in thought. "Maybe," she said. "Even without the MMI, we could go private together!"

"Private investigators!" Retsuko chirped happily. That sounded fun!

"And in other bits of the world which are less dumb than here, there was never anything stopping me in the first place. Did you know that the chief inspector Interpol is another vixen? I follow her on twitter."

Haida hummed. "I never knew that," he said. They looked at each other, smiling. The worst of the alcohol was starting to wear off. It was late, on a work day, and Retsuko had already set her alarm for an early departure. Yet she felt good. She felt great. She felt amazing. She felt confident.

Confident.

Yet she hadn't accomplished the one big thing she'd aimed to do at the start of the day.

"-You know," Haida said, looking up. "Moving jobs sounds like an awesome idea! Fenneko becoming a PI, and us being her helpers, that sounds awesome too! Maybe leave it for just a little bit… More time to think this over, and get over all things." He paused, chuckling. "Don't wanna jump into it because of this buzz and find it sucks."

"No," Fenneko agreed, Retsuko nodding in response. She breathed in and began. Second time lucky.

"Say, Haida?"

He turned to face her. "Yup?"

"About leaving things for a little time to think things through and get over old stuff?"

"...Is it me," he slurred a little. "But do I feel a strange sense of Deja vu?"

She giggled. "Probably you," she said. "But, I was thinking… After my third to last relationship ended, and you asked me a certain question, I said no as it was too soon…" She looked down, took a breath in, and looked up again, her stomach twisting and turning as she did so. "It's been a little while, strange things have happened in between, but I think I'm feeling good enough to say yes."

Haida just looked on, his jaw hanging open. He pointed to himself, and to her, almost as if trying to piece what had happened together. "You? Me? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?"

"Yeah," she said, feeling more confident. "Try it out, see if it works."

The big hyena looked at her for a few seconds, then smiled a great big stupid idiotic smile. "That sounds great!" he said, as he got off of his seat, stumbling slightly as he went. "Mind if I, uh… -hug you?"

Retsuko giggled. "One little hug for now."

She soon felt him do just that, giving her back a little pat and, using his side without his snaggleteeth, nuzzling her cheek.

She chuckled. "Aaawww. Haida…."

_-SNAP-_

They were broken off by the sound of a camera and, looking over, they stared at Fenneko. "In case you forget this whole thing," she said.

The other two looked at her, then at each other, then at her again. They wanted to be mad, but...

-Eh, they chose to let it be.

It was getting late so they called a cab. Due to the layout of Zootopia's Metro system, the easiest way for them to all get home was to be dropped off at the main station in tundra town. They could all catch a loop train from there to their place in the various districts. Up until then, though, they stayed close. Retsuko, finding herself in Haida's lap, felt relaxed and sleepy as his paws held her close. There was more bliss, care and love in them than in entire past relationships, and it all segued into one glorious dream. She was some mammal's boyfriend. She was living her own life by her own rules. She was a hero. They'd caught a criminal. They could leave their dumb job and go to a better company, or become detectives!

That last one would have done nothing to excite her in the morning, but now it thrilled her.

"Hey," Fenneko said, smiling. "I asked the driver to pass by a certain spot on our way over. Look out the window."

They both did, and their eyes widened. "There it is," Haida gasped.

Retsuko turned to look out the window. "Sorry, but your tax dodging days are over," she quipped.

They bid the recipient of their whistleblowing adieu, before their car pulled them away from the Tundratown Limo service.

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**AN: "DID YOU LIKE MY BATE AND SWITCH!**

**MAKING YOU THINK IT WAS NIIIIICKKKKKK….**

**I LIKE TEASING YOU! DEATH METAL STYLE!**

**MEAN AUUUTTTTHHHOOOORRRRRRRR!**

**MMMEEEEAAAAAANNNNNNNN AUUUUUUUTTTTTTHHHHOOOOORRRRRR!"**

**.**

**Ahem…**

**Now that's over, this was a fun double-shot to write. Again, the kind of thing I envisioned this series to be based off of. A lot less to unpack here than with Kris and Ash. It took a little while to get the three's voice right in my head, but I think I've done it. Oddly enough, here, I read them in English, whereas with his dialogue in A Day in the life I imagined Haida speaking 'Japanese' and subtitles appearing. I'm guessing it's because he's far more in his element here so I can tell it's him by his chemistry in the dialogue. In 'A Day in the Life…' it's him and a stranger, so it's harder to tell if what he's saying is a thing he'd say. Hence, I test it by sounding it out and, being a subbed version watcher primarily, I was much more familiar with his voice in the original version (thus imaging him speaking 'Japanese' and with subtitles).**

**It's still worth noting though that, in many cases, I still did the 'Japanese' test, and the dialogue and character mannerisms are still likely far closer to that in the Sub than the Dub. **

**As for the fic, it was very nice to give the gang a day where, instead of things starting out good and going bad, they start out bad and go good! They're fun and light to write.**

**Now, Aggretsuko has reptile, avian and simian characters, whereas Zootopia is just mammals. As stated in chapter 3 of Acting out, I'm using the 'modified fox point' system. Pop over there if you need a refresher.**

**Fun fact: this fic was originally all written before Aggretsuko season 2 came out, and I was initially thinking that I'd have to branch it from the main series after Metal Christmas. Instead, the end point of season 2 lined things up even better with the things I've got planned for these guys in the future, which was an awesome surprise. A bit of tweaking and changing, and it was fully integrated. Hooray!**

**Anyway. Interesting things are a paw! Feel free to comment and subscribe going on. Remember, on A03 the fics are seperate, so subscribe to the FFoZ series or the complete release back on Zootopia Fanfiction.**

**As for our friends? Where will they go? Do they go things? Let's find out…**

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Her alarm blaring at an ungodly morning hour, Retsuko got up. She was still slightly hungover from the night before and as tired as the wheels of a car. She'd eat breakfast on the way in. Grovel to Ton, and then get to work with Fenneko and her boyfriend…

…

She smiled. Her boyfriend, Haida.

That felt good to say already.

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Hyena paws ran along the floor, before sliding to a halt. Looking up, Retsuko saw a panicked Haida arrive right next to her desk, panting for breath. "Retsuko!" he cried, in a tone one would use if you heard the girl you crushed on had just had a secret baby, "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS!?"

He pulled out a little plush doll. "I FOUND IT IN THE MARKET!"

Retsuko looked at it in shock. It was a plush Hyena doll that looked exactly like him, right down to his red and black shirt, black leather biker jacket and three snaggleteeth.

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA….."

"SHUT UP FENNEKO!" He cried. "IT ISN'T FUNNY!"

"Let me see?" Retsuko asked, as he gave it to her. She looked over it, pausing as she saw its little label. "Uhhh… Haida…"

"-I'm having an existential crisis here!"

"It says on the label that it's a 'Haida the Hyena' doll," she said, handing it back to him so he could see, his whole body trembling in response.

"RETSUKO! IT JUST GOT WORSE!"

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA…"

"Mind if I keep it Haida?"

"ARGHHHHH!"

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA….."


	12. Spanners and Stripes

**FFoZ S1E5 Spanners and stripes.**

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**AN: Just a note about the cast list I published. After being corrected, I've changed Tsunoda's species to a dwarf gazelle/ dik-dik. Just to let you know.**

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Sitting down on a trunk on the stage of a theatre in Zootopia, Jack Savage was idly flicking through the latest draft of his script. Working hard didn't come to him often, but when it was his passion on the line, he was an entirely different rabbit. Planning, testing, thinking out how it would go, he'd mashed together a unique take on the western drama, set to send any and all audiences abuzz. It was all great! All…

He paused, and flicked through the script, adding an extra little one-liner to a character…

_Now_ it was perfect! Again!

Or maybe, if he…

On the other paw…

Or should he?

Ah! That did it.

A few more changes, and it was perfect again.

Then again…

No, it was perfect! Everything was perfect!

Or, at least, it _should_ have been.

He was happy enough with how it was so far but, after much 'feedback' from his theatre's owner, he'd naturally been 'encouraged' to 'improve' it in a few ways. The tehuantepec jackrabbit's giant ears flicked a bit in irritation at the whole concept. "Still… could be worse," he noted, scratching just above his tail as he did so. This might turn out to be a rather boring day, unless…

He stood up, his expressions chiselling as he began projecting a cold and austere tone. Little improv sessions could always get him going, and here he was now, improvising a devil's advocate in an argument against himself. "It _has_ been worse, has it not?"

Turning to sit back down, he laid himself back. Slouching, relaxed, yet with a coiled tension in one of his paws. He poised it so that, in a flash, it could haul out a revolver and succinctly execute the first dozen mammals in the room. His ears askew, chaotic, and he let his buck teeth bite over his lip. "_Se__ñ__or_," he began. The Latino accent was a ham and he knew it. He owned it, given that he could speak his native tongue quite well. That wasn't the point though. This was a cliché filled overacted persona now. "Do you think I do not know?"

He stood up again, and in a flash he was the gloomy giver of bad news once more. "I certainly presumed so…"

Back down he went, the desperado once more. His paw came out, both lazy and fast, pulling up into a stern palm that cut off the speaker. The hare's mouth opened in a long and turning yawn, which he rounded off, staring into his 'opponent'. Tired eyes, with an underlying predatory savageness, glared forwards, targeting their prey. "_Amigo_… Not one week ago, when entertaining two fine heroes of the city, disaster struck! The stage, pushed into action by the most irritating mammal in the world, laid waste to both itself and the surrounding equipment. Catastrophe! Ruin! The lord was cruel, was he not?"

Up once more. The grave mask on. Glancing over to the side, he coughed a little. "Yes, well…"

Whatever he was saying was cut off as a load set of bangs came from below. Jack paused his act, before looking over to a square on the stage, a square that was sinking down into the ground. A feat it hadn't been able to do in a long while. "Well I never…" he continued, not breaking character for one moment.

He quickly sat back down, transitioning once more. "Ahhh!" he said warmly, lying back even more. "The _Se__ñ__orita_! She comes at last, to a hero's return." He couldn't help but hide a grin. He loved it when something out of the blue was thrown into an improv session.

Starting with two sandy furred ears, a swift fox vixen in a pair of overalls rose up with the stage. Adjusting her safety goggles, picking up her tool case as she did so, Skye Autumn emerged. Standing up, Jack smiled a little, shrugging as he did so. "Good job," he said, his voice his own, no longer that of a character. "You've been working hard." There was a pause as he tried to think of something to say. Some kind of complement that would be perfectly tailored to a mechanic, a field he knew absolutely nothing about. In a flash he decided to play it safe with a bit of humour. "I could tell from the banging."

"Thanks," Skye said, nodding, before flashing him a little smile. She then turned and immediately head off towards a set of equipment just off the stage. Sitting down, she brought her tools out and immediately began working.

Jack sat there, looking at her blankly. He'd expected a little more playback. At least something to help break the dull wait. After all, what else was the purpose of an audience, even one as small as a single mammal? Then again… she had seemed to enjoy his acting before. He flicked through a script a few times before finding a new page to start off from.

His eyes hardened, his voice became gruff, and he was now the betrayed inspector of the frontier town. Still limping from the rubbing of the shackles he'd worn, working on a chain gang for five years, repaying a debt to society that he never owed. Now he was back though, ready to even out the balance. "Fenrir," he spoke, his tone hard as he glowered in front of him. Imagining the fellow actor in costume. "Maybe you don't understand what's going on here... Maybe you'd like me to tell you?"

…

"I thought you'd say yes," he said, a sadistic upturn in one of the corners of his mouth. "Always did so when you needed someone to solve the crimes, to find the fiend, to point your gun or your noose!" Cutting off, he let himself go down to a vicious whisper. "I always helped you, 'friend'."

The dark façade went and, stumbling forwards, Jack collapsed to his knees. Though he was no canine, he hauled his head up high, his neck stretching and painful as he exposed his throat. "I… I… -I had no choice!" he gasped, his voice breaking. His lips trembled, and he sniffed as if tears were coming from his eyes, before barking out a broken, shattered, defeated _mea-culpa_. "I had no choice! I would never…!"

He tore his head to the side and, kicking out with one leg, sent himself tumbling along the floor. All paws came out though and, jumping back onto his feet, he transitioned back. He looked on hard, giving out the slap he'd just received, before almost growling. "No choice! No choice in receiving that bribe, I say. No choice in slipping in that evidence, that false witness! No choice in throwing away your partner! Your ally! Your…" He choked, his lips trembling. "Your… -Your _friend_!" He sent a flurry of boxing punches forwards, before coming out of it and standing tall. Panting a few times, he let a wide grin grow on his face as he looked over to Skye.

… Who had her head buried in the same work she was doing when he started his little recital. Jack just looked at her a few seconds before rolling his eyes. '_Tough crowd_, he told himself, before pulling out a chair and sitting on it. His ears drooped down over his eyes and he settled down. Maybe he could go a bit of rest, or…

_BANG-BANG-BANG…_

Or maybe not. Skye was leaning through a wall panel, busy knocking something or other back into place. Ferreting around, she began lifting something big inside. Something heavy. Jack, looking on, sighed. He didn't want to, but if she asked for help he'd be expected to…

"Almost there!" she called out. There was a pause, then a groan as she began lifting something, before a slip and a sudden 'Eeeepppp…!'

"Uh…" he began.

"I'm good. I can do this," she replied, before straining again. There was a little groan, then the sound of the component being slotted back into place.

"Well done," he called.

"Thanks," she replied.

Smiling, he watched as she pulled herself out of that area and fixed the panel in front back up. He kept it up as she walked towards him and then right past him. It might have even grown a little as she went to work on a new little technical hitch.

Jack paused in thought, an odd bit of curiosity flicking through him. But before he could speak, the shriek of an electric drill rose up, the hare waiting patiently for it to quieten down. When it did, he opened his mouth and…

_BANG BANG BANG_

-Was cut off by the sound of Skye, busily working away with a hammer. He waited once more, rolling his eyes as he did so. Finally it stopped, and…

_Zzzzzzzziiiiippppppppp…._

Out came the duct tape, quickly cut with a bite of her jaw, the vixen then busily wrapping something up. Sealing up her work once more, she walked right past him once again.

"Say, Skye?" he asked.

She paused a little, her tail giving a little swish and flick. "Even the best of us use duct tape," she retorted, looking back at him. "Don't judge."

And off she went again.

He paused, his mouth grimacing to the side. His eyes narrowed a little, and his nose began twitching. "What...?" he asked, suddenly feeling rather confused. "Was I judging?"

She rolled her eyes. "Probably."

He paused a little. "How much?"

"Enough."

"For what?"

"For me to have to tell you not to," she said, paws flicking in the air before she grabbed a ladder from offstage and began pulling it back on.

Jack blanked out, before just forgetting the whole thing. It was easier that way. He watched as Skye carried on walking across the stage, ladder in tow. She was laser focussed on the task at paw, getting through it and enjoying it as she did so.

"May I ask, what goes on in that head of yours?"

This time she did turn to face him, smirking as she did so. "Enough to get the job done Jack," she said coyly.

The hare shrugged. "'Strong silent' type?"

"Ehhh…" she shrugged. "Pretty much."

He stood up, smiling as she watched her work. Watched her… -well, just _work_ really. It gave him something to watch, and this was coming from a mammal who'd once watched paint dry instead of going out and putting more money on the electricity meter. Still, some chatter might be a bit entertaining. He pondered; how much would it take to distract her? Relax that laser-focused mind of hers. It probably wasn't that much and, after all, words were free regardless.

"So… What are you up to now?" he asked, smiling as he saw her ears perked up a bit. If your business was about speaking all those little tells, you knew how to read them too, and he'd just engaged with her. He just had to carry on the suave, faux-disinterested act, and he should have her spilling out. "-And, I gotta say… I am curious as to how you got into such an unexpected career choice? Mechanic, well… -I must say that, for a mammal of such class as myself, it looks like a step down for a mammal of such class as yourself."

Setting her ladder up, she marched back past him, head held high, to gather her toolbox. "Then mammals like you are just jealous," she said with a smirk as she walked past him.

"And why would that be?"

With a swish of her tail, she pulled up her toolbox and was off again. "Well, you think that everything sucks too bad or your paws have gotta be clean and it means you never do anything interesting."

"And mechanics' work is interesting?"

She seemed to ignore him at first, setting up her ladder and climbing it, toolbox in her mouth. But, as she reached the top, she let it down, picked up a screwdriver and paused, looking down at him. If anything, she looked sorry for him. "If you can't see that, I can't help but pity you."

He snorted. "Pity, huh?" he mused, before shaking his head. "But I can sort of see it. Well, I think I can…"

"-I mean, so much going on. So many different things interacting, even at a smaller scale," the swift fox vixen continued. Her voice perked up and, as she grabbed her box and slid down the ladder, she only got louder. "It's like an art and a science but more! Doing all sorts with a lathe…" There was a brief pause as her feet hit the ground but, as she shifted her ladder along, she both spoke up and made her way up it again. "-like trimming down components so precisely that they don't fit if they're just a little too warm. -Or in cases like this, working out how piece after piece works for the whole."

"Hmmm… Like a surgeon operating?" he enquired, picking a select metaphor for the occasion.

"Well, if you switch lubricating oil for blood. Beating and moving, all in balance, and I'm the one who gets to design it, build it, put it right when it goes wrong or work out _why_ it's gone wrong." Bringing out an electric drill, she turned to face him, a slightly mischievous look on her muzzle. "It's just a great thing to do."

"Very well," he said warmly, "You may consider my question answered."

"Mmmmmm-Hmmmmm…" she mused, going off to work on another section. Jack thought about carrying on, asking her something or other, but shrug it off. He was sitting in a nice place, and if he got bored then he might _just_ get motivated enough to do those dreaded edits.

.

.

…

He groaned, pulling the script out, a frown back on his face as he turned a few pages and shook his head. No… -No…. -He couldn't cut down any more of this! He wasn't going to tame it! Why should he have to bow to corporate? Just as he was asking the question, he heard the theatre entranceway open and, walking out, was corporate himself. Being a good actor, Jack managed to, just about, put on a perfectly normal smile as Buster Moon approached, carrying a copy of his script. He was smiling too.

Bad sign…

"Hiya Jack, how are you today!"

"Fine," he muttered

"Ah, wonderful!" the koala chirped, opening the page out. "-And, after I made a few little edits for you, you'll be happy to know your script's _more_ than fine!"

Bar his face, Jack wasn't acting right then. He shook a little at that statement and looked nervously at the copy of what was once his work. Ears drooped down against his head as, quite obliviously, Moon began rattling off his changes.

"Well, we have a whole less violence for a start! I've stripped it down into a nice two-act structure - didn't need that last act anyway. I thought that we could do with something much more wholesome so… -congratulations here Jack, you've now got an award-winning _musical_ on your paws!"

"Well," he deadpanned, holding back his desire to tear the new script up straight there and then. "I don't remember doing a musical." He then pushed the new script back into the koala's paws. "I'm not promising anything, but I think it'd be better if _I_ made the changes, don't you think?"

"Oh, Jack," he said sadly. "You really do push yourself too much." The hare silently agreed with that, but listened on as his boss resumed. "But you do tend to slip up here and there…"

The jackrabbit bristled, standing up straight, his nose twitching a few times. Out came a paw and a finger, along with a lecture. "I don't slip up," he said proudly. "I know exactly what I'm doing…"

"Okay, okay...," Moon said, before quietening down. "It's just that it's all…. _-wrong_, if you know what I mean." He paused, looking at his new script, and smiled before handing it back and taking the old one from Jack. "Don't you worry, Jackie! We'll make this one, and I promise you it'll be the masterpiece that will make us famous! Trust me Jack, with this new script, you're gonna blow the roof off this place!"

The hare just held the new script with a slight revulsion and looked on longingly as his work was taken away. Sure, he had an electronic version, but…. He scanned through the new version, looking at all the previously high moments, before he began to tremble with fury. As soon as the theatre doors closed behind Moon, Jack gave a long pained scream, threw the new script on the floor, jumped on top of it a few times, then began kicking it like a soccer ball. Finally, with one last kick, he broke apart Moon's slab of goat food and sent the pages flurrying around him in a snowstorm of ruined visions and executive butchery.

"Rutting piece of good for nothing idiotic smug grinned…." He hissed, trailing off as he ran out of energy.

Dropping himself down on the edge of the stage, he let his legs hang there, swaying.

Bored…

Bored…

Depressed...

Bored…

There really wasn't much point to anything.

He might as well sit here and stew. He could see that going on for a few hours, then maybe a few more. Despite the horror he'd just witnessed, or maybe because of it, that last brief spike of energy had vanished.

His musings were broken off though as a creak rang out from besides him. Looking over, he saw a trapdoor that he never even knew existed lift up, Skye emerging. She looked at him in an odd way, which he suddenly remembered was her 'pity' look.

"Stupid meddler?" she asked, gesturing over to where Moon had gone.

He snorted. "Yeaahhhh."

She kept her eyes focussed on it, a little growl escaping from her muzzle. "Sounded like a meddler," she muttered before, much to Jack's surprise, sitting down by him. "Tell me everything."

.

That he did. He went through all the changes, rattling off where and when all the good bits had been sanded down. To make it 'lighter', or 'smoother', or 'happier'. "It's like he wants to make everything into baby porridge," he muttered. "Tasteless mush for the lowest common denominator! Even worse, it'll be _my_ name that gets top billing!" He looked down and sighed at it all.

"We need to do something about it."

He looked up at Skye. "How would I do that? Anyway, isn't Moon just too friendly to do something too?"

She paused, thinking, before shaking her head. "He's a meddler," she said, her eyes narrowing. "Doesn't matter if it's my passion or yours that they try and mess with, we gotta stick it to 'em!"

"Right," Jack said. Maybe it was time to do that. He stood up and looked around, trying to see or think if there was anything he could do.

Anything…

Anything at all?

Gunge or foam or something, that's what those kids' game shows used, wasn't it? He didn't even have the faintest idea where to start though.

"-I think I have a plan," she said.

Jack paused. Thinking about it, it probably wouldn't be worth the effort, whatever it was.

"And it involves us doing a bit of acting to trick him."

-Then again, that actually did sound very interesting and highly satisfying! "Okay Skye, hit me," he said, his voice excited and curious.

"Well," she explained. "You know that auction of knick-knacks out front?" she said. "How about you agree to buy one of the cheap items. Then I come in posing as a new buyer, and say it's some kind of ultra-valuable antique and that I just need to go out and get my money. He'll ask for it back, and you agree to do a refund, as long as he promises to stop meddling. I never come back! You get your script! The meddler gets meddled!"

"Yeah!" Jack agreed. He was totally hooked on this plan! He paused to think it through a bit. "We could dress you up as a rich heiress or something," he began, his mind beginning to swim with ideas. Visions of her character. Both of them working out their little skit. He smiled, paws on his hips, as he spoke out. "Give me your best shot, Skye."

She nodded, cleared her throat, and then spoke out in the most ridiculously fake 'old money' accents he'd ever heard. "_Hellllllooooo_! I'm Lady Auuutuuummmmnnn. Might I please _buyyyyy_ this _wonnnderful_ little thingy?"

He laughed, clapping, shaking his head as he did so. "Brilliant. Hilarious! Though this time, show me what you'll give Moon."

Skye looked on, confused. "That was itl."

Jack chuckled. "Seriously though. Give me your real-world aristocrat."

Skye continued in a lowreed down tone, only for a new priblem to arise. "Can… I… buy… this… thing… please… lowly… peasant?"

He blinked a few times, a hint of worry edging into his mind. "Maayyybbbeeee try without the accent? Or the contempt? Or a whole bunch of those other things you added…"

"How will I know I'm this rich lady though?" she asked, confused.

"Just close your eyes and act confident."

She did so, nodding, and…"-_CanIhavethatplease_…"

"-Normal, not sped up, voice, please?"

"Okay… Can I uhhhh…. May I…. could I please buy that please?"

She opened her eyes, thinking she'd done well, only to pause as she saw Jack in front of her. He buried his face in his hands, with his ears drooping down over his hands, just to double it up. "Skye," he said. "You are a great mechanic. But all your mechanic skills probably stole everything from your acting skills, so…"

"Oh…" she replied, looking down. "So, I'm an acting dud then?"

"Probably the biggest one I've ever seen. Which is saying something."

"Right then," she said. "Give me enough time, I could probably study and practice, but we don't have that. So, new method of doing this… new method of doing this…"

"We don't need to," he interrupted, walking forwards. It was true, and after the brief elation of having a way of getting his old script back on stage, he was beginning to think it all wasn't worth the effort anymore. He could just sit and fester.

"Right," she sighed, looking at him. "Sorry."

"Eh. No worries," he replied. His ears drooped though. He didn't like the idea of having to put up with the tarnishing of another one of his works. But still, it wasn't as if a replacement mammal was going to just walk into the theatre for them to use, was it?

.

.

…

"Jack?"

"-Huh," he asked, turning back to face her.

"You were just staring off at the doors for a bit," she said.

"Maybe waiting for a deus-ex-machina or something," he shrugged, as he followed her back to the trapdoor she came up on. "You know, I never even knew this trap door existed."

"Honestly, I was surprised myself," she said, agreeing. "Still needs a lot of fine tuning though."

.

.

…

"Uhhh…" Jack began, confused, before groaning. Damn mammals with their expectant, guilt inducing, silences. "Urgghhh, right then. I'll try and lend you a paw."

She looked at him curiously. "I didn't ask, did I?" she said, before smiling. "Anyway, thanks, but I can handle this all on my own. No help needed."

Jack blinked. "Okay then. Sure. You do your job then."

"Yup," she replied, "and you do yours."

"Yeah, even if…"

_-BANG!_

Both were shaken as the doors to the theatre opened. Looking over, their jaws dropped, as the most bizarrely dressed fox they'd even seen entered the room. Dressed in a medieval green shirt, with a tan tunic above it, he had a blue tricorn hat complete with a giant yellow feather. His whiskers, and for that matter all the fur on his upper muzzle, grew out thick, long and white, almost like the kind of facial hair that goats and walruses had. He even had an eyepatch, and a sword to boot. "Greetings!" he boasted. "It is I, the honourable knight Sir Didymus. I have come here as part of my grand tour of Zootopia to peruse the fine antiquities you have on the market . Do tell me my dear mammal, who is the proprietor of this fine establishment?"

"Oh my…" Skye gasped.

Jack nodded. "What you said."

The vixen then blinked a few times, before her eyes widened. "Jack. The plan!"

"The wha?" he asked, before his eyes widened. "Oh right, the plan!" he said, smiling as he turned to face the new fox. "You missed your cue by about a page, Mr Deus Ex Machina, but welcome!"

"Yes," Skye said. "My friend and I just need to talk for a bit, and we'll be right back." She then picked up a remote, pressed it, and after an initial shudder the pair sunk back down into the stage, a curious Sir Didymus watching on. He listened in as their voices trailed into nothing.

"_Oh…. I'm really your friend, Skye?"_

"_Anyone who suffers under meddlers is always my…."_

He couldn't hear anything after that, and so he waited, looking around at everything, until they popped back up out of the stage.

"Sir Didymus," Jack greeted, acting the charmer as he stepped down and bowed in front of him. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Hi! -uhhh, Mister Sir," Skye added. "We'd be, like, super duper happy to help you right now."

"Very much so," Jack carried on, putting himself between Skye and the new fox. "Though, in the matter of helping poor artists being harassed by overbearing management, I'd have to ask if you were willing to help us on a little matter. At no expense to yourself, of course."

"A bit of mischief and devilry?" he asked, leaning forwards. "I'll have you know that I'm an honourable fox. But, part of that honour is helping out poorer mammals like yourselves." He smiled. "As long as it's not too bad, then count me in."

.

.

A short while later, out in the lobby, Buster Moon was showing sir Didymus what exactly was for sale. Jack followed, pausing as he spotted one of the knick-knacks. "You know, Buster," he began, paws together, his index fingers pressing against each other and being tapped against his lip. "I've actually been thinking. Could I buy this one here for ten bucks? Straight. No auction?"

Moon walked over, looking at the cardboard promotional advert and nodding. "You know, on this one, why not?"

Jack handed over his money, paws were shaken, and, saying he'd pick it up when leaving for the day, he walked off. Totally returning to the theatre room and not hiding behind the corner with Skye, both of them listening in.

Buster smiled as he went, before pausing as Sir Didymus walked over. "I'm amazed that one wasn't taken sooner," he said.

"Hmmmm," the Koala noted. "It's probably the least valuable one I've got," he said. "It's just a nineties sitcom poster."

"For a very famous sitcom."

Buster paused. "I didn't know much about '_Horsing Around_," he said, looking at it. "Maybe I should though. It sounds nice. '_Three little orphans, one, two, three…_' Hopefully everything related to that turned out nice, warm and hopeful."

Sir Didymus paused, before shaking his head. "Anyway, this is actually an incredibly rare poster made by a very talented, but sadly deceased, artist. In fact, its contemporary just auctioned off for one-hundred grand."

Buster's jaw practically hit the floor

"-Regardless," Didymus said, "I have bigger fish to fry." He walked over, before recoiling a bit at a pair off odd yellow statues. "I say… Most unusual mutant bananas there."

"Oh, don't call them that. I think they're the sweetest things…"

The fox shook his head and carried on, pausing as he stood in front of the fake sarcophagus. "This, though, comes from an even rarer artist and is even more expensive. It should be studied in a museum, not languishing here!"

"Yes…" Buster said nervously. "Well, the auction closes soon, and…"

"How about it closes now, good sir?"

"Well, I just can't do that, you see," he said, as Didymus wrote down some figures on a cheque and handed it to the Koala.

…

"It's yours!" he cheered.

"Thank you good sir," Didymus said. "And I'll be back after confirming with my accountant to pick up that poster from that jackrabbit as well. A good day to you, good sir!"

"Likewise," Buster said, waving him off. He looked at the cheque and chuckled. "That's… That's… That's…"

He paused, as he heard someone walking out behind him, and turned to see Jack. The hare was looking at his new purchase, before frowning a bit. "Hmmmm," he went, scratching some of the paint just a bit too hard.

"Ah, Jack!" Moon said, quickly walking over. "About that. Do you mind if I have it back? I'll give you more back in return. Promise."

The striped bunny looked at him and smirked, before reaching down and pulling out a copy of his old script. "How about we negotiate, huh?"

.

.

.

Buster Moon was going to let Jack do his play.

With his original, unchanged script, no less!

"Ah…" he said, settling back into his deckchair on the stage. "Today's a good day." He looked at the signed declaration he'd gotten from the koala, before stuffing it into his pocket.

"You know," Skye called, peeking out from over the top of the stage set. "I'd frame that."

"I'm good," he replied, sitting back as he watched her.

"It'll get all crumpled if you don't treat it right."

The jackrabbit rolled his eyes. "It'll still work."

Skye opened her mouth to speak, only to shake it off. She supposed he was right and, in any case, she still had her work to do. In particular, reattaching a certain kitchen sink. Grabbing it, holding it up, she strained as she lifted up, before letting out a sudden 'Eeeep…' as it almost slipped. "I'm good!" she called, before pushing it the last of the way up and into position, fixing it there. Her arms burned a bit, and she let out a few pants to cool herself off, but it was good.

On she worked, smiling a bit as she did so. "Still," she pondered out loud. "Nice to finally get a meddler. Stick it to the mam!"

"Yup," Jack cheered, as he picked up his old script and gleefully flicked through it. "Thanks to our convenient travelling fox as well. Now, Mr Script, it's back to basics with you! As much gratuitous violence, betrayal, and downright mammal-on-mammal jerkiness as I want! Or maybe something completely different? Hmmm…."

Skye chuckled. "If anything, I thought the meddlers in your industry would be wanting more of that."

Jack sighed. "They would, but guess who got the one exec on earth who doesn't?"

Skye, grabbing and sliding down a ladder, laughed all the way. "_Youuuuuu…"_

"Yup," he replied. "Though that's the way it is, isn't it?"

"That's why I'm self-employed," she called back, leaning down and taking out a panel. She had a lot of tweaks to do with her screwdrivers.

"Touché," the jackrabbit noted. "But still, I now get this theatre and free reign for the next few plays!"

"Nice."

"No creative meddling!"

"Like it."

"Just _my_ vision," he said, sitting up proudly. He closed his eyes, standing up just a bit on his toes. "I'll do that street gang thing with my spiv character… maybe slipping in a little gay romance? Or just flat-out gay romance. I've never written one of those before… Or a murder mystery where the bad guy gets away! -But whatever it is, I'm gonna make the least Buster Moon-y plays the world has ever seen - because I can! And they will be great and no-one can stop me!"

"Sounds cool," she replied. "Anything else planned?"

Jack paused in thought, biting his bottom lip slightly as he began pacing about. "I don't know, I don't know…" he began, before his ears shot up. "Though, given my recent run-in with Nick and Judy, I could do something about the Nighthowler plot."

Skye blinked a few times, her ears going down a bit. "Bit topical," she noted.

"It could be the biggest middle finger to Dawn Bellwether ever made though."

She grinned wickedly. "I like it!"

"Now _that_ will blow the roof off this place," he said, the cogs slowly but surely getting in gear and turning in his mind. "As much farce and dark comedy as I like! And slapstick! And fight scenes…"

"Chase scenes!"

"Yeah!" he cheered.

"What else can we do?"

"We'll have a bunny-fox duo for sure…"

Skye chuckled. "But make them spies or something."

"Secret agents," he said, with a bit of flair.

"From different agencies! So, there's a rivalry. And both agencies have crazy acronyms for names!"

His eyes narrowed playfully, and his voice went just a bit pompous. "Skye. I'd rather not have to ditch _two_ meddlers..."

She chuckled back. "Kidding," she said. "If I were a meddler though, and you _don't_ give me an attitude adjustment, expect me to shove a romantic subplot under your tail."

"Oh, merely a subplot?" he teased. "Amongst all my trademark dark comedy, I could put in a romantic main plot!"

"Is that really sticking it to the mam?" she asked, as she finished with her screwdrivers, packing them away.

"It is when it's between a bunny and a fox," he pointed out.

"Boy fox meets girl bunny?"

"Maybe do a gender flip!"

"Figures," she noted, as she walked around the front towards him. "Sounds kind of nice."

"Kind of nice to me too…"

"Funky!"

"Sexy…"

.

.

…

An awkward silence prevailed, before Skye shrugged. "I think there's only one logical conclusion to this conversation."

Jack paused, before his eyes went wide, and he looked up to Skye and flashed her a smile. "I do believe you're right. Would you believe me if I said that all this was unplanned?"

She smirked. "Would you believe me?"

He chuckled. "I guess I do. It's not the weirdest thing that happened today."

With a grin on her muzzle, she tapped the end of his nose playfully, sending him stepping back, blinking.

"-Don't do that Skye," he pointed out, just a little bit taken aback and annoyed, though his grin returned, larger than before, afterwards. "Or I shan't plan any dates or events for us."

Skye paused a little, before shaking her head. "Right then… -I was imagining myself planning a date there, but I guess it's the boy who usually makes the first… -Anyway, I'm free after six every day next week except Tuesday, but Monday would be best." She leant forwards, giving him a pat around the shoulder. "Surprise me Jack. I'm looking forward to it!"

"I will," he said, waving as she left.

…

"Her planning the date was an option?" He spoke to the air, before shaking his head.

Well, it wasn't as if it would take that much effort. He walked back to his deckchair, talking as he walked. "Well," he noted. "Very unusual day… -But I'm not complaining!". He relaxed into his deckchair nice and content. His work was safe, and he could plan the surprise date they'd talked themselves into a bit later.

Maybe tomorrow.

Maybe the day after…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

**AN: Back in Twenty-nineteen, I made a very famous faaaan….. fiiiicccc…..**

**With Jack-Savage and Skye… (Jack-Savage), -don't think you will forget iiiittt…**

**And I try my best, to make them the very best.**

**It's so hard, to make them stand above the rest…**

**I guess I'm just trying to make you understand,**

**They're their own bun and fox….**

**Or their own fox and bun….**

**(Jack-Skye!)**

**.**

**With this one-shot, I actually began writing it pretty much before any of the others (bar one), as it was so important for getting Jack and Skye's personality down. I ended it about one-third to halfway through, to where Moon arrives, before doing other things. I then developed their characters more, wrote the earlier fics and then came back to this one. Taking what I had shown in **_**Acting Out**_**, I cut bits out, added more bits in, etc. This continued as I wrote stuff after it.**

**So, the ships are beginning to cast off!**

**Whatever might happen next?**

**Like, review and follow, and you'll soon find out.**


	13. Special little mammals

**FFOZ S1E6 (Special little mammals)**

**.**

**AN: Many thanks to my proof reader DancouMaryuu, both for his regular work and being essential to getting the dialogue of a certain character right in this fic.**

**.**

If you asked most of the public to picture Zootopia Police Headquarters, which housed Precinct 1 and many ZPD administrative functions, most mammals would think of the imposing stone façade of the building, and the spacious, skylit lobby behind it. In contrast, a certain subset of mammals happened to be more familiar with the rather dingier back of the building. Having to hold various mammals of criminal intent, ranging from drunks sleeping it off to convicted mammals awaiting transport to '_The Zoo'_, Precinct 1 had its own jail at the back, complete with holding cells, a cafeteria, an exercise yard and even a pair of visiting facilities, both for low security and high.

With a nod to the guard, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps made their way in, foot claws tapping on the linoleum floor. Passing various cells, each walled off by a tough Plexiglas door, Nick glanced in to see the occupants. Predator and prey, big and small, male and (albeit in a different wing) female, there was a healthy variety. Some looked on, some stared daggers, some kept on reading their books or brushing their fur with the comb that came with each cell, attached to the wall by a small chain. A few cells had multiple occupants, who might be playing cards or making a sport out of ignoring each other or even whispering to the other about what the passing coppers might be up to. Some tried to call to fellow inmates in other cells, which added to the in-cell whispers to create a rumbling base of noise, frequently cut through by shrill shouts or heckles. There were laughs and jeers and insults thrown from mammals in civilian clothes or the grey uniforms that those held for longer were put in.

The fox watched on as Judy flashed a concerned glance at a few, before turning back to her clipboard, flicking through it as she went. She was broken off though as someone knocked on one of the doors, as if trying to get their attention. Both looked up to see a very sheepish looking elk inside, still dressed in some stained civilian clothes and with only one antler.

"Excuse me…" he groaned. "Where am I?"

Judy cleared her throat, before stepping up. "Would you mind sitting down, sir?"

"I guess," he replied, as he lay back on his cot. He turned his head this way and that before turning back to the officers, his eyes widening. "Is this a prison cell?"

Crossing his arms, Nick smiled. "I'm afraid so. It looks like someone had a little too much last night."

It took him a few blinks for the reality to sink in, and for his head to drop into his hooves. "Oh fuckingballshitdrops…"

"Language please," Nick said, getting a light elbow from the bunny next to him.

"I'm afraid I don't know your case, but you were likely put here last night to sleep it off. The common room opens up in half an hour, and when it does you can ask an officer about your case. You'll likely have an interrogation booked for later today anyways."

"And if you do, then ask for a lawyer friend," Nick added. "If you feel like you made a boo-boo here, you'll feel it doubly so if you end up with community service instead of a caution."

Blinking a few times, he nodded. "Thanks, I guess."

"Anything else?" Judy asked.

"Some aspirin, I guess."

"Sounds good, just don't overdo it," Nick added. "A drink problem is enough on your hooves without you getting wasted on the willow."

"I guess…" He said unsurely at first, but the unconvinced look on his face slowly turned into a faint smile as he got it.

"It's a real aspirain in the butt," Nick added, earning a light chuckle from the elk. With that, the pair slipped off. Passing more cells, Judy looked up and gave Nick a look.

"_What? _He appreciated that one."

"Maybe you could be a bit more civil," she advised, a hint of concern in her voice. "He's going through a lot."

Nick shrugged. "I'd of thought he'd prefer a more mammal face in an inmammal dump like this."

"Or you could keep it professional. I mean, what would you prefer if…" She began, before shutting her mouth. "Okay, that's a stupid question."

"And I guess that asking you the reverse also would be," Nick stated.

"Yup."

"Well then, I think we have a textbook case of a professional disagreement."

"An open and shut one, unless you go around asking all the inmates."

"They'd probably just have a disagreement with our profession," Nick said, getting a roll of Judy's eyes and a guttural honk from one of the nearby cells. "See, there's one of our esteemed guests on Team Wilde!" He looked over, spotting a jumpsuit clad fur seal inside, and gave a thumbs up.

"Up yours pig!" he barked.

"Pig? Where?"

The seal gave a few more laughs, before banging hard on the door as the two passed. Judy looked back at him, then up at Nick. "Isn't he the one who dragged mammals out into the sea and drowned them?"

"Short answer, yes. Long answer, don't judge me by my fans," Nick countered as the pair paused. "In any case, I think we're at our destination!" He leant forwards with a smile and knocked the door a few times. "Rise and shine Wesselton!"

Clawing the thin sheets from over his face, the eponymous mustelid stood up, a scowl on his muzzle. "It's Weaselton!"

Judy just looked at him and held out her cuffs. "Could you stand with your back to the door and present your paws. We're taking you for an interrogation."

"Really? Cuz the way I read Wilde's face, you'z got a lot more planned for me."

Nick sighed, slumping down and looking at his partner. "Curses, foiled again! I guess we'll have to limit it to just the interview."

"You'z better!"

"I mean, I don't think anyone would miss a bail hearing, a referral to rehabilitation programs, a celebratory twentieth arrest celebration..."

Duke just stomped over to the door and thrust his paws back through it. "Jus' geddit ova with!"

Judy complied, silently tightening the cuffs as Nick looked on. Looking up, he couldn't help but spot a jumpsuit clad armadillo, curled up and snivelling in the back of the cell.

"-Trying to cut off my blood flow there?"

Nick smirked as he looked back down at the weasel. "You know, I'm impressed about you reading me back there. I thought reading wasn't in your skillset."

"_Shaddap, Wilde_!"

"Manners."

"Now listen," he scowled, as Judy let him go.

"Turn around and stand still while I open the door. When I say so, proceed to Officer Wilde."

"-I read plenty! I bet you never got through every Stephen Yeen book, huh?"

"Never had the same amount of quality alone time," Nick remarked, as the door was opened. There was a shuddering squeal as it did so, making all nearby mammals flinch down, the irritated mustelid especially.

"Dammit! Do you two know how many times I've asked to get dat fixed?"

"Proceed," Judy said, as the weasel marched out. Nick pondered.

"I guess it's limited by how many times you were in here, so an awful lot…"

"-Shaddap!" the weasel huffed. "Yer almost as annoyin' as 'dat stupid hinge."

"Yikes, I better work on my game."

"AND I SAID SHADDAP!"

"And I say _no_," Nick said, as he stood by the weasel. Judy closed the door with an equally painful squeal and, together, they set off, a dangerous smirk growing on the fox's face.

"So, you're a Stephen Yeen fan?"

"Yes, so…"

"Dumb weasel walking the Green Mile!"

"I said Shuddit!"

.

.

…

By the time they got to the interview room, Duke had at least got his wish, if only for a moment. After he was cuffed to the table, the trio briefly waited until Weaselton's lawyer - a rather haggard-looking peccary - entered the room. With all in attendance, the interview began.

"Duke Weaselton," Judy began. "While you are taking a plea deal for the selling of alcohol to minors, we have an agreement that if you provide us answers to our case, we'll commute the jail term to community service. Do you understand?"

"Yes…" he hissed, glowering at them.

"As you've probably heard by now, a consignment of Night Howlers has been stolen over an unknown amount of time from a local shop, Flora and Fauna. Are you aware and familiar with the place?"

Looking up at his lawyer and waving him down, he whispered into his ear, the lawyer whispering back.

Duke recoiled, shaking his head. "You think I'm gonna trust these guys?" He turned to them and shook his head. "I'm pleadin' my Fifth."

"Shame," Nick said, shrugging. "Bye-bye community service then."

"You already served your sentence for your previous involvement there," Judy said. "You're not at risk."

"Also, being an independent country, Zootopia doesn't have 'a fifth'," Nick added smugly. "So, bit of a bummer."

There was a pause, Duke growling a little and his fists clenched as he stared daggers at them. He stayed silent as his lawyer informed him that if he really wanted to do so, he could just do the equivalent and exercise his right to remain silent, though it was best to talk.

Letting out a loud groan, he shook his head before looking forwards. "Fine then! I stole from that place for the guys who were workin' for Bellwether during the first Howler scare. I didn't know it had anythin' ta do with her or with the whole 'savage predators' thing. I was a big dumb weasel doofus, yadda yadda, laugh it up, why don't'cha?!"

"Permission to laugh it up, Officer Hopps?"

Judy looked with her no-nonsense face and nodded. "Permission granted."

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA…. Look at the big dumb weasel doofus! Yadda yadda."

Duke groaned as his lawyer leant over. "From a legal perspective, you did consent to that."

"Bite me."

"And that, though it's not really my scene."

Snapping back, the weasel huffed. "I know where this is goin'." He scowled. "Here's the deal. I don't have nuthin' to do with this new scare. However, I did have these two mammals come askin' me about it. One was a whack-job fox almost as dumb looking as Wilde there, dressed in a white suit. The guy was a real nutjob - he called himself a spy and offered me 'redemption' if I helped 'im out."

"-If he was legit," Nick suddenly interrupted. He looked on at the weasel, almost curiously. "Would you accept it? Do you want redemption, Weaselton?"

Duke huffed. "I'm not some schuck like you, Wilde. I don't need that preachy stuff, I go for practical stuff. Like money! Or a bath. I… _-not-that-I-don't-shower-so-shut-your-trap-right-there-Wilde_!" He huffed, looking away. "Just I probably last had a nice one back when bunny cop was still pelleting her pants…"

"Right," Nick replied, as Judy cleared her throat.

"If we could get back on topic," said the rabbit. "There was this fox who said he was a spy, and another mammal. Could you describe this other mammal?

"Right," Duke muttered. "The other guy was an orange goat with a big beard an' long hair called Petey. He kind of asked if I'd start nabbin' Night Howler bulbs again, and I told 'im to scram, but maybe he was a reporter or somethin'. He sounded a bit like one anyway. I dunno.. Okay, that's my story! Happy now?!"

"And what about that fetching new bandage you had?" Nick asked, smiling as he heard a grumble from the weasel.

"I annoyed two big cats… -A leopard and a cougar," he said with a huff. "They were waving a dart gun around and one of their fingers slipped. We called it even after. I didn't get their names."

Judy nodded. Technically a licensing issue, but if Duke wasn't going to pursue any charges, they couldn't really follow it, given their higher priorities.

"Anything else?" Weaselton asked.

"Not really. We'll inform the judge that you were cooperative with our investigation, so you'll be spared jail time."

"Yeah, as if!"

"We are mammals of our word," Nick said, smiling as Judy walked over to uncuff the weasel.

"You're jerk-asses, the both of you," he muttered, glaring at Nick. "You 'specially."

Nick acted in mock outrage, but the weasel cut him off before he could even get a word out. "Yeah, yeah, give me that dumb joke insulting the criminal weasel. Then march me back and throw me back in the joint, and go away smilin' 'cause ya enjoyed it! You're so high an' mighty now, aren't ya?"

Nick looked on, quiet for a few seconds, before sighing. "I am," he said. "I buckled down, and I changed, and I'm trying. It's hard Duke, but I changed my life. You could do that too."

"What, so I can lord it over others like you do, huh?"

"No…"

"Forget it," Duke hissed. "You guys in blue are just bullies or psychos, 'dat's it. Comin' down to the cells whenever you want to rub it in, not listenin' to us... It's hard for us guys too, you know?"

Judy ignored him, getting behind him, ready to lead him off. "Come on."

"You know, I had to comfort my cellmate all night. He got five years, away from his family and kids, just fer pushing an' movin' some files around. An' as a transfer out, he can't even go to the contact visiting room to hug 'em goodbye. And you lot just let us sit there in boredom, lettin' it sink in, before coming down to rub it ours faces."

"Duke," Judy said, as monotone and professionally as she could. "A few arrests ago you said something about us not going after the 'real' criminals doing white collar crime."

"I…" he began, grumbling before just shutting up. They led him back to the jail entrance and let him back in to go off to breakfast, before moving along. They had a long meeting with Detectives Dave and Basil Dawson.

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"Well, it is a potential lead, certainly," Basil mused, as he gestured up to his sprawling conspiracy board, maps, pictures, coloured pins and string mixing about. "Maybe I could fit it onto my masterpiece! What do you think, Dave?"

"Well, the orange and green lines are clashing, as I've said before."

"About this goat, old chap!"

"Of course, of course… -I mean, you're likely talking about a dozen orange goats called derivatives of Peter, not including those who may be off grid. Catano's busy doing a full review of the shop, so I can do a quick search later today." There was a pause, then a chuckle. "Maybe check any records for spies working here too."

"I think we can hedge our bets on that being a local crazy," Nick said, a slightly depressed tone in his voice

Judy's ears rose at it, but she turned back, planning to finish the job at paw first. "Back to our goat, Nick and I could then interview that shortlist," she said, "though it'd eat into our time looking through the jam cams."

Dave nodded. "And any clues from there?"

"None yet," she replied. "We've only filtered through one week so far."

Dave nodded. "I guess you'll be calling it quits at something like a fortnight, then."

"I… -I guess," said Judy, nodding.

The groups nodded at each other and parted ways, Judy looking around when out of earshot before turning to Nick. "Also, we have our 'other' contacts, don't we? Any response from them?"

"Nope," Nick said, shaking his head. "And you?"

Judy looked around, a little embarrassed. "Given how serious it is, I did try to contact them. However, Fru-Fru says she isn't supposed to be talking to any police for a bit… Not the first time."

Nick nodded, before shrugging. "Comes with who they are," he said, as he scratched the side of his muzzle and looked away. "Though fortunately they don't think you're an untrustworthy turn cloak or anything, rubbing it in their faces."

Judy paused and looked up at him, reaching out a paw. "What Duke said is getting to you, isn't it?"

"Kind of," he said.

Judy nodded. "I guess we're bad to them," she said, sighing. "But that's part of the job, isn't it? We can just do our jobs the absolute best we can, and try to be nice." There was a pause and a smile, before she walked up to him. "In our own ways," she said, giving him a big hug around the waist.

The fox looked like a deer stuck in headlights, stretching up, eyes wide, tail bottle-brushing and with a puckered up mouth. Recovering from the surprise though, he leant down and smiled. "I'll…" he began, pausing to close his eyes and breath in and out. "I'll try and tell you if things get bad."

"And I'll listen," Judy said, before splitting from him and making her way to the bathroom. Nick relaxed back down and brought out his phone, looking through it and smiling as he saw a message. It seemed that Ash was going on one of his father's jobs. "Good for you, Kit," he said, as he stashed the phone away.

"Good for whom?"

Pausing, Nick looked down, spotting the two mice next to him.

"I…" he began to say, before going quiet a little. After all, this was something personal to him, wasn't it? Something deep down, close, and not to mention private to the other party… What might the pair think? His throat tightened a bit, before he closed his eyes and breathed out. No, he could do this.

"It's just some news from this kit I'm friends with," he said, smiling. "I helped him out a while back, and we've been keeping in touch since." There was a pause, and Nick felt a little swelling of pride. "He kind of looks up to me as a role model."

Yeah, that felt good, didn't it? Take that dumb previous emotions!

The two mice nodded, and Dave smiled warmly. "You know, we know exactly how you feel."

"Do we?" Basil queried, standing up tall and stroking his chin in thought.

"Yes dear, we do…"

"Hmmm, not sure where or what…"

"With Olivia."

"Oh of course! Of course, Olivia," Basil replied, smiling back. "You're quite right there," he said, before looking up at Nick. "We do feel that way."

Nick looked on and smiled. "I'm guessing she's your own little mammal who you helped out, and took a shine to you after."

"Well," Basil said, smiling. "We kind of saved her father in that case, so she had good reason to take a shine to us."

"It was the first case we did together as well," Dave added, recalling it fondly before his face soured. "Also, my first near death experience… So it had its downs as well, certainly."

"Pah, just the simple hazards of the job," Basil dismissed. "First time's the hardest, after that it's a mere doddle!"

Dave looked back at him, a subdued look of concern on his face. "If you insist."

"Anyway," the detective carried on, turning back to Nick. "We carry on as family friends, and it is a splendid thing to have a little one look up to you. Getting to teach her and see her grow up."

"Well, I haven't seen much of the growing up yet," Nick countered, smiling. "But is it a nice feeling having them look up to you? It is. One-hundred percent."

"That's the spirit," Basil said, Dave nodding along. "You know, last Kitmass we even got a surprise gift from her!"

"Aaaawww…"

"Well, from her father, technically," Dave elaborated. "She'd seen this adorable little hyena plush…"

"Red and black shirt, leather coat, three snaggle teeth?" Nick asked, taking the two aback.

"H-h-how did you…?"

"My therapist has one," Nick explained.

"Well, it is quite stupendously cute, and she wanted to give us one, though there was a slight snag. They were all big enough to fit our house in it, rather than our house being big enough to fit it in it. So, they had to make one, but thankfully her father is a toymaker."

"But I deduced from the quality of the stitches and cuts that she did make most of it," Basil said proudly.

"Her father guiding her along," Nick said happily. "The news I got was sort of the same thing. Ash, the kit I was talking about, had a bit of a tough time fitting in with his family, not really meshing that well. He's not so much of a little one anymore, and I guess a lot of mammals would just shrug him off, something that hurt him. But he's a real great kit, and I'm glad I could be there to help him out."

"Splendid," Basil replied, Dave nodding. "But, while I'd love to catch up and reminisce even more, we all have leads to follow and miscreants to catch!"

Nick nodded along. "We'll carry on looking at the cams, until you hand us that shortlist. Then it's chasing up and interviewing time."

The mice nodded and headed off, leaving Nick alone and smiling. It wasn't long before Judy returned.

"Someone's looking very bushy tailed today," she said, spotting his new and improved temperament.

"Well, you know what they say," he smirked back. "Good news, good mood."

"Sounds about right," she agreed, as they headed off to their desks again. As they did so though, Nick couldn't help but notice Judy's ears begin to droop.

"Feeling okay?" Nick asked.

"Now _I'm_ stuck thinking about what Duke said," she replied. "I mean, it's not like I've given him chances. He's not like you - he doesn't want to change. He's just a dumb bad guy who doesn't care about doing petty bad things. Normally I do ignore him, but…"

"But…?"

She looked up. "Well, whatever they did to deserve, it mustn't be nice for those stuck in there."

Nick nodded along. After all, if he'd been on that other side, something which his constant due diligence had avoided, then it would certainly not be fun. He guessed that that was what Duke saw in him, someone who'd jumped the fence to the opposing team and was now rubbing it in.

"-Maybe we could do something nice for them?" she asked.

Nick paused, a cunning smile growing on his face. "You know, Ash said that he enjoys listening to music when he's bored or down. Let me ask him what songs he'd like to listen to if he was at rock bottom."

As he typed out a text, Judy looked on, smiling back. "We also happen to know a certain cheetah with a large playlist of upbeat songs."

"Playing the prisoners Gazelle?" Nick queried. "I didn't know Ms Supercop believed in cruel and unusual punishment."

"He has more than Gazelle on his phone and you know it," Judy said, ribbing him slightly.

Nick flinched. "Yup, firm believer," he said. "Though I do know about the songs. Two months ago I could swear that he was listening to a Hyena Gomez."

Judy just rolled her eyes as they approached the cheetah.

"Oh hi guys! Long time no see!"

"Well, we've been busy Spots," Nick replied, sauntering up. "Say… Do you have any non-gazelle based cheerful playlists?"

Clawhauser paused, looking at them as if they'd just asked for a pizza without cheese and tomato. "I mean, I have a Gazelle lite one that I made for my brother."

Taking over the phone, the fox and bunny scrolled through it, the former smiling. "You know, Dr Twirly-Tail's species has a habit of making mammals happy. Start off with some Jeff Binne… -But not the obvious song, that might be a bit too much of a culture shock."

"We can work up to it," Judy said, smiling as Nick's phone buzzed.

"Just play them the album," he said as he picked it up. He scanned through it and smiled. "And looky here, number four on his list, and not the obvious one."

Judy pumped her fist, before turning back to the receptionist. "Ben, I think that this will do perfectly."

"Perfectly for what?"

"Oh, you'll hear about it soon enough," Judy promised, as the pair walked away. Scanning through the song list, she smiles. "This all looks great, give them something to listen too."

"Yup," Nick agreed, "Something for…"

He trailed off though, Judy pausing and turning back to him. "Nick?"

He pointed a few ways, thinking, before shaking his head. "No. This is just proving him right, isn't it?"

Judy blinked a few times. "Is it?"

"He said we lorded it over him and didn't listen to them," Nick explained. "And whoopsie, we were about to try and play them music, our thing, and they might not even want that."

Judy's eyes widened. "You're right," she said, tapping her foot. She smiled though, and looked up to Nick. "However, I might just have a better idea."

"Oooh, a Carrot's plan," Nick said, smiling. "This'll be interesting!"

Judy smiled back. "If that was non-complementary, just note that it's very Slick inspired."

"It wasn't, and thank you," he said graciously, nodding his head and following the bunny along.

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Duke grumbled in his cell. He could go out to the common room, but it was mostly empty anyway, the only thing on the TV being the news channel. He didn't feel like yard time either, and it wasn't like the library had any books that he hadn't read…

-Or could finish before he got released.

So, he stewed in his cell, grumbling at the odd silence. His cellmate sat next to him, at least not crying, but instead just sitting on his bed.

If anything the silence was worse.

"Listen, you'll be fine in the Zoo," he grumbled. "Big hard shell. A lot better than what most of us had. It'll be the min-security wing too. They even let you do the same room visitation stuff if you behave yourself."

…

The weasel grumbled again. He wasn't much of a talker, was he? Then again, maybe that was a good thing. After all, some voices could get grating, especially that of the bunny cop and her foxy toy. The simple idea of having to listen to them just a little bit more…

"Hey guys!"

Thanks a _lot_, universe…

He grumbled, pulling up his sheets and looking at the obnoxious double act in blue. This time, he just turned his head, ready to ignore them.

"Mr Novemfaix," she said, and Duke looked on as his cellmate uncurled and looked over. "We were able to arrange a late night meeting appointment for you and your family tonight, in the low security visit room." She smiled. "I checked with the guards, and hugs are allowed."

His eyes lightened up and he slid off his bunk, going to thank them. Duke guessed that he deserved the break and watched as he left, a spring in his step, to the common room or somewhere. Of course, that left those two.

"Duke," Nick began.

The weasel remained quiet.

"I know we don't really get along."

"No crap!"

"But, in the spirit of mammalian kindness, we've been taking your concerns into consideration."

He raised an eyebrow and looked up, as Judy stepped forwards. "We think we have something that you'll deeply appreciate. A real treat for you."

His heart began beating, and he had to double guess himself. There had to be some trick to this or something… Yet… Maybe, just maybe, he could hope.

He imagined himself now, slipping into a hot bath, complete with all the bubbles. He was thin, wiry and worn, and mammals talked about it loosening their muscles, didn't they?

Dammit, he actually really wanted one bad. Now that it was on his mind, it was like a fixation. No more crappy showers! He wanted a bath, more than anything!

"There's something you wanted more than anything," Nick said, "and we're happy to oblige."

Duke slipped out of his bed, a rare bit of hope springing up into his body, before Nick grabbed a can of WD-40 and oiled the top door hinge. Dropping it down, Judy caught it, doing the same to the bottom hinge before opening and closing the now silent door. Nick, to her side, showed it off with a crap eating grin on his face.

…

Duke so wanted to be angry right now…

And he was.

"You can't even listen to me the right way! I hate you guys so much!"

"But we fixed the most annoying thing in the world!" Nick defended.

"And now you are, so fix yerselves," he huffed, going back to his bed. He just wanted a bath…

At least the pair would still feel whatever guilt sent them down here and…

"Hey," another prisoner asked as he walked by, "mind doing my cell door?"

"-And mine."

"-And mine!"

"Hey! Are they oiling the cell doors!"

"I don't believe it, actual awesome cops."

Duke couldn't help but take a look, spotting the two suddenly light up as they went around, making dumb favours with each and every other prisoner inside.

He then calmly turned to his bed, put his face in his pillow, and screamed.

Hard.

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**AN: A little oneshot catching up with a few characters. This was actually written far later than the fics around it, as looking back I felt we needed to catch up with the main crew here. The idea of Nick and the mice bonding over their 'special little mammals' was originally planned for a much later fic (whose main plot idea will involve the mice). Interestingly, some parts of this (such as the little mammals discussion) which I thought would be fertile ground for writing turned out not to be, others vice versa, and so on. Regardless, next time, we catch Dr Amy Lupuleli tackling another mammal in another institution, in something first teased in 'Different'. It was originally going to be a three shot, but after looking through I'll be splitting each chapter up into two, with biweekly updates to compensate. Like, subscribe and comment, and I'll see you all then.**

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Later that night, Duke had calmed down somewhat. Loathe as he was to admit it, the now-quiet door was a bonus, not that he'd get to enjoy it much, given that his court date was tomorrow. Still, better that than have to endure those two anymore.

Though thanks to them, at least his cellmate had not been crying so much, due to his sudden family visit. With that, Duke could just sit back and stew in peace

.

The fizzing of the announcement system broke him from his reverie, as did the sound of a paw beating down on a microphone, before the most annoying voice in the world came over. "Testing, testing, I think this is a pass, Fluff."

"I think it is Slick."

"How much, full marks?"

"I'd give it an A," she countered.

"An A it is then. Hello, involuntary residents of the ZPD precinct. This is Officer Wilde, about to do a lot of Jam-Cam watching while listening to a track list donated by our generous receptionist."

"Now," Hopps added. "us lot and you lot may not get along…"

"-You think?"

"But we thought we'd share some tunes with you, something that many of you were enthusiastic about during our little visit earlier today. After all, you're still mammals, and whatever your mistakes you can do stuff in the future to fix them."

Back in his cell, Duke stood up and crossed his arms. "Just shuddit, will yah?" he shouted, as they faded off and the music began. Some synth sounds grew, some wild bird calls came out along with the sound of rain, before an upbeat percussion set kicked in. Bright strings swooped and played, before the singer sung out.

"_I was standing in the jungle; I was feeling all right… Mmmmhmmm. Mmmm Hmmmm."_

"_I was wandering in the darkness in the middle of the night… Mmmmhmmm. Mmmm Hmmmm."_

Duke spat. Was this some joke? Who the heck would enjoy this kind of crap?

"_The moon began to shine I saw a clearing ahead… Mmmmhmmm. Mmmm Hmmmm."_

He turned around, only to pause as he saw his cellmate. Sitting in his bed, wearing a tiny smile, he gently swayed his head to the beat.

Duke shrugged it off. Maybe he could put up with the music.

After all, he guessed that that guy needed a pick-me-up more than he did.


	14. The Bin and the Badge 1

**FFoZ S1E7** (**The Bin and the Badge.)**

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**AN: Welcome back everyone. I've been travelling through France and Belgium these last few days, and had great fun meeting up with both the members of Zieg's server group and, even better, the great Cimar himself. It was a very fun short break, we were able to see the sights, enjoy good food, and bounce ideas between ourselves. Cimar's upcoming fic is continually sounding better and better, and I'll be sure to give it a shout out when it's released.**

**Another shout out I'd like to give is for the fic L'EDgendary, which some of you may have seen on the Zootopia A03 server. I decided to check it out, given the lack of comments, and found an amazingly written crossover featuring a stunning take on Robin Hood, Little John… -and the Ed, Edd and Eddy crew (all of them in Disney/furry form).**

**Seriously, this fic deserves far more love and attention than what it's got.**

**But back to my work, and I'm pleased to publish a long teased episode, indeed being the one with Amy mentioned all the way back at the end of 'Different.' One other notable thing about it is that, on A03, it is the first fic billed solely as a Zootopia fic. No crossovers! Not that there won't be lots of crossovering cameo's, he-he-he… I wonder if you guys can find them.**

**Also feel free to checkout the brilliantly funny artwork done by Giftheck, up on the A03 version. **

**Originally three chapter long, I've split each one in two and will release them bi-weekly instead. So, shorter waits, hip-hip horray.**

**Anyhow, on with the show!**

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**Chapter 1**

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Dr Amy Lupuleli sat in her office, noting things down as her patient talked. The reports were all pretty consistent, as they always were for him, much to her disappointment. It was a sad case of affairs for this horse. It was always one hoof forwards, one hoof back, and all she'd been able to do in their long years of practice was to keep his head above the water.

Then again, for some mammals who'd been through terrible things like this one had, who'd seen things then been used and abandoned as he had, who'd then heard of the terror he'd missed, but had struck so many of his friends...

Sometimes, keeping their head out of the water was all you could do.

The really sad thing was that he was such a sweetie, which was the tragic root of all his problems.

"I mean, then three more turned up," he carried on, talking about homeless mammals. In an act of charity, he'd seen a homeless mammal and given him a generous donation. He'd then come back again, and the same donation was provided. Then he began bringing his friends, which meant more money had to be given. "I had to give more, didn't I?" He asked, before shaking his head. "It was unfair on the newcomers, and they were all in a rough way, they didn't have homes or such. It was a slow week, so I had to cut into my food bill; after all, I was still better fed than them. I had a roof over my head, whereas they needed to raise money for a shelter and…"

Amy's ears perked up. "Money for the shelter?"

"Yes, money to get into the homeless shelter. They…"

"Mr Boxmoor," she said, leaning in as she used his full surname. She put her paw on his hoof, holding it to steady him before she told him the truth. "None of the city shelters charge for entry. They were lying to you; taking advantage of you."

He paused, his ears going back, before he looked away in shame. "There were probably other things they needed it for."

"Most likely…"

"-Things they needed more than I did," he said, his voice raised. It seemed aggressive, but Amy could tell it was actually defensive. She was striking closer to the truth, and that was cutting painfully for him. Striking at the heart of his issues, making him put his guard up and shy away from those trying to help, so he could keep the narrative he clung to like a raft safe. This was the point where she had to make him uncomfortable, to push through to the core of the issue.

"Like drugs?" she asked. "Or alcohol? Or cigarettes?" It was a bit of a petty move and she knew it. Things were far more complicated. However, in cases like this she had to use her big stick first. The soft talking could come after. "I've had experience with these kind of mammals before. If you, or I, were made homeless, forced out onto the streets, we could find a shelter, get a room, start a job and save enough for a rental deposit and then, in three months or less, we'd be back on our feet. At the very worst, we might spend one day, maybe two without a roof over our heads. Those mammals out there need help, yes, but not money. They need psychiatric help more often than not, help that you can't provide them. That money you were giving them wasn't helping them, it was enabling them."

Another half-truth. It wouldn't have helped them. It wouldn't have harmed them either. The repeat homeless mammals she'd met were an odd mix. Prideful, stubborn, self-hating, paranoid or just without the skills or faculties to live normally. Many would put up the exact same barriers that her patient did when help came. She cringed slightly, as the only way to help many of them would be to straight-up yank them off the street. Sober them up by force, shove treatment down their throats, and try and get them into a state where they could live by themselves.

It was a terrible balance she had to deal with; one without a definite answer. In general, the city was happy with mammals living in their own self-enforced squalor, putting their freedom to live in misery over the ability to force them into a better life. But was it the right choice?

Amy's duty was to care for and cure mammals, and also to effectively imprison them without their consent, so this paradox continually weighed heavily on her mind.

Thankfully, with Mr Boxmoor, she knew the answer.

"When you go home," she said, "tell them that you'll be taking them to a nearby shelter. Offer them a lift. You could even give them information about some of the care we give. Then…"

"Then I could volunteer there," he said, a feeling of strength rising in his voice. She saw it in his body too as he rose up.

Amy's ears went back in concern. "You don't have to."

"I have the time," he said. "In my budget."

She relaxed slightly. It was a very early exercise they'd done, and the most successful. Set a weekly budget for how much time and money he could donate, how many hours he could volunteer, and how much he had to spend on himself. Most of the time he succeeded, though these homeless mammals had pushed him over. "Just stick to it," she told him. "You come first. You have to look after yourself first if you're going to look after others." There was a pause. A smile. "Making yourself weaker helps no-one. If you're as strong as I know you can be first, it's better for everyone."

He sighed, before nodding. "I'll try, I'll work harder on it. Thanks, doc."

"You're welcome," she said, smiling. Progress, it seemed. "Hopefully things will work out peacefully, though there is a small chance that they might turn violent." She paused, before fishing out a very popular brand of recording pens, in particular the rather famous carrot model, and passed it to him. "It might be worth having this on and recording everything. If you feel the least bit threatened by any of them, I want you to walk away. If they keep it up, call the police or defend yourself. Whatever you do, you cannot let them rule over you."

He seemed a bit tense, but nodded. He was nervous, but he felt like he could do it. They'd be meeting up next week, same time, same place, and she looked forwards to seeing his progress. So, she let him go and wrote up her notes.

As she finished there was a tap on her door.

A wolf security guard was on the other side, fully armed with restraints and a tranquilizer gun. That was nothing out of the ordinary.

What was though were the numerous bruises and cuts on his face.

"Oh gosh. Are you alright?

"I can handle it," he said gruffly.

"What happened?"

"Our new guest happened," he snorted, his lacerated muzzle grimacing up, only for him to wince down from a sudden flash of pain. "I've had my fair share of angry mammals, but this one is something else!" he barked. "I got off lightly, apparently the officers who brought her in from her residence _didn't_."

Amy nodded, opening up her desk. "Do you want treatment, medical help?"

He huffed. "I'd like you to get down to her so we can get this over with. This one doesn't have an official diagnosis yet, so we can only keep her for two days or so."

"Forty-eight hours," Amy clarified, suddenly pretty sure she knew who he was talking about. "Of course, the assumption is that in that time we diagnose them and if need be take an emergency petition to a judge to get a longer-term hold. She's a ratel, correct?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "She's newly sectioned and in in the max-security padded cells."

Amy was taken aback. Those cells were hardly ever used, with only one permanent resident. She knew that the patient would certainly put up a fight when picked up, but just how much fight did she have in her? Shaking it off, she nodded, gathering her folders before going with him. She knew exactly who the wolf was talking about, given that she'd been in charge of assessing the notes and reports first presented to the hospital. She'd been the point of call for the raiser of the concerns, collating the evidence before handing it over to the appropriate judge with her recommendations. Recommendations which had just been fulfilled.

This was going to be a rather unusual case, with a rather unusual mammal, and one where she feared that the security guard's equipment and the severe provisions might just be necessary.

Still, though, that question rattled around in her mind. Was taking away this mammal's freedom the right choice?

Ask any mammal off the street, and given the context she was sure they'd say yes.

Still, could you ever be entirely certain?

She guessed that she'd soon see for herself.

.

.

The prisoner couldn't help but struggle.

How long had it been?

Alone…

In this cell.

What did they want from her? What were they going to do?

She knew exactly why she was here and who it was who'd _really_ taken her in.

Who'd locked her up.

She'd tried to resist when they came for her, tried to fight, only to be tranquilised. After a dreamless sleep she'd woken up again, strapped to a gurney as they took her into this place. Straps holding her down, white tiled ceiling panels and fluorescent lights rolling past, she'd tried to move her paws only to find that one was pawcuffed to the bed.

As if that was going to stop her.

They hadn't expected her to succeed in freeing herself. Their mistake. She would have made it if the sore losers hadn't struck again, this time shooting a taser into her gut.

She flinched at the painful memory, though thankfully it was a blurry one.

She just about remembered getting injected with something before waking up here, where she'd been for the last who knows how long. Stuck in this damn padded cell with this damn straight jacket on. They were really being stereotypical there, weren't they? Suiting her up so she couldn't cause mischief, or fight back.

Mainly fight back.

As if they thought she wouldn't fight back, not when her freedom was on the line. Not when the fight against tyranny was on the line! They probably expected minor resistance, but she had no qualms about using her teeth and claws. On the other hand, that was probably why there was now a police muzzle strapped to her face.

There was no chin strap to it though, so…

A sound outside pricked her ears and she froze. Her eyes on the door, she tried to see if there was any movement at all behind it. Scanning for any hint of a moving shadow in the cracks, or maybe a slight change in the view point, she waited…

And waited…

Before sighing. It was all clear. Down on her knees, her bottom half covered by a simple grey tracksuit, she leant forwards and lay on the ground, trying to pull off the damned muzzle. She smiled, chuckling with a sudden sense of dark hope. Damn the mammals who threw her in here, thinking they could 'fix' her. Damn the courts or doctors or whoever for sending her here, just stupid proxies trying to cover the truth up. Damn the mammals who didn't accept her warnings about the true evil facing society. She'd get out. She'd keep on fighting. She'd do what had to be done.

And then, there was a certain duo.

Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps.

Nothing else really mattered anymore, she just had to get to them. Get in contact and get their help, because they were the key to this.

Hopps and Wilde took down the Nighthowler Plot, didn't they? With the enemies finally making their move, they could join together and then they'd be unstoppable!

She grinned wickedly as she began working and pulling her face against the padded floor. Just get the thing off. Pull. It. Off. She'd found a slight lip on the padding which she could hook the metal on and the straps stretched as she pulled back, feeling it release ever so slightly.

It snapped back in place, but she shook her head.

Never mind that. She would get it off. She'd get out of here before it was too late. Before _they_ came.

Another try and she paused, only to flinch down as a knock came from the door.

"Hello?" a voice from outside called, sending a chill down her spine. She panicked, her face rubbing more and harder, nipping and tugging and trying to haul it off. She had to. She couldn't let them take her! "I'll be coming in now, is that okay?"

"No it's not!" she shouted back, her words causing her nose to press uncomfortable against the roof of the muzzle. "Nope. Can't come in. Nu-uh. Not now!"

"Listen, I'm here to help you."

"-That's what they all say!"

"It's because we mean it," she said softly, though the prisoner knew better. She began crying as she fought and pulled, trying to tug it off. Rip it off. Tear it off so she could fight back, or even try and rip through the straightjacket sleeves. Get her claws out, and… "-I'm coming in now," the soft voice said, and the sound of an unlocking door rattled out.

"Nu-uh! No you can't! YOU CAN'T! I JUST SAID YOU CAN'T COME IN!" she screamed. She'd said it, hadn't she? Told the intruder that she couldn't come in! Couldn't enter, to do all the terrible things she might be about to do. Rearrange her. Brainwash her. Burn out who she was. Assimilate. Turn. Control. Kill. She began crying, as another desperate tug failed to pull it off. It didn't matter that she'd told them not to come in. They didn't listen to the rules. They were evil and they'd come after her. They weren't going to stop.

This was it.

This was the end…

.

.

Amy opened the door, her heart hurting for the mammal inside. She'd heard many different things about her, but that still hadn't prepared her for the sobs and tears. "I'm not givin' up!" she spat out through sobs. "The flock ain't gonna win! We'll win in the end!"

The binturong blinked. "So, it is real," she said. Sure, she'd read up about it, but seeing was believing.

"Of course it is," the patient said, as she turned and scooted herself into a corner, her free hindpaws out and ready to scratch and tear. Her eyes narrowed as she gazed at the binturong in front of her. "That's why I'm here, ain't it? I discovered the Cudspiracy, and now they've sent you here to shear me solid!" There was a pause, and a glint of hope. "But if you join me, get ridda that domestic sheepdog to your right, we can hightail it out of here! Haven't you heard the nighthowlers are back? We're all for the loom soon!"

Amy took a second to take it all in. "I'm Dr Amy Lupuleli," she greeted. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Honey Badger. I'm here to try and help you."

The eponymously named ratel looked back, her eyes narrowing as she gave another futile shuffle in her jacket. "Big whoop. Now, are you with me, or against me?"

.

.

Honey didn't trust her.

She didn't trust many mammals. She looked on, her body poised and ready to fight, as the binturong walked in closer. Probably just another misled pred following orders, not knowing. Not caring. Or, maybe that guard was ready to put her in the cell next door if she refused to do whatever evil deed the sheep had ordered her to do.

No wonder she wasn't answering, she had no choice.

It was the sheep behind this.

The sheep were behind everything. Uniform, marching line in line, a hive mind, the singular and plural the same. They fought for each other, thought the exact same for each other, and one day planned to annihilate all other species', leaving just themselves. 'Perfect', each mammal the same as the next. Culture and history would go up in smoke, dissenters crushed like insects, to create a world where the past, present and future were one and the same. The ever-lasting Age of Wool.

Not long ago, Dawn Bellwether, the alpha sheep, had tried to put the first stage of their little plot into action. Hopps and Wilde had brought her down, but now the Cudspirators were regrouping for their next offensive. Bloodlines stretching back thousands of years, linking up so many mammals in higher places. Controlling the media, medicine, even food and water supplies.

Honey dreaded to think how much damage had been done to her own body before she'd set up a system to distill pure water for herself.

But she knew.

She knew, and she was willing to fight back, and that was why she was here. She'd screwed up somewhere, despite her best efforts, and now it would end. The binturong was closer now, and Honey grit her eyes and teeth and let loose with her feet. If this was where it ended, she'd die as she lived; fighting.

"LONG LIVE THE RESISTANCE! ARGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

…

"-Would you like me to take the muzzle off?"

Honey paused, glancing over at the doctor.

"I'd like to speak to you. Learn about this Cudspiracy of yours. If you calm down and tell me about it, I can take that thing off of you."

Was this a trap?

A way out?

Honey didn't have anything to lose. But she still wouldn't get far.

"Things will be easier if you behave," she said, before pausing. "We wouldn't normally go all out like this, but I heard you caused a lot of damage to the mammals bringing you in. Now, if you help us out a little, we leave all that behind. If you promise not to hurt anyone, we could even take off that straightjacket and get you into a nice room, with an actual bed and a toilet. You can have a desk, with books, even a small TV. Don't you like the sound of that?"

It could just be a gilded cage, but it might actually be a chance to get ready and get out. She did like the sound of it.

"After all," Amy carried on, looking around. "If you have to stay in a cell like this, it's harder for everyone. It's boring for you, and messy for both of us."

"Messy?" Honey asked, sceptically.

Amy shrugged. "How do you think we can feed you, keep you clean, deal with your needs if you're locked up like this? There's a reason cells like these are a last resort."

The ratel's eyes narrowed. "This a trick question or anything?"

"No," Amy said. "I mean, few people on the outside actually think that stuff through, they just think you jacket up a mammal and put them in a cell like this and that's that. Anyway, if you are violent enough that we have to keep you in here, you have to be fed by us when we're able to, via spoon or bottle. You have no choice in when or where or even what. You rarely get a chance for a shower, or a wash, and they're not relaxing ones by any means. There's no entertainment or things to do. As for using the toilet, we can't have something you could knock yourself against or drown yourself in in here for safety reasons, not that you could clean yourself without your paws. You'd have to be in incontinence pads, and I can't think of anyone who likes that solution."

It took a little while for Honey to register what they were saying. It was all dirty sheep tricks, wasn't it, trying to make her play along. But what if she didn't play? Might they get suspicious? She could pretend to cooperate, but it'd be risky. On the other paw, she couldn't take down the Cudspiracy in a padded cell. She huffed, shaking her head. She'd play the binturong's game, at least until she found a way out.

To be honest though, she should have expected such dirty tricks from the sheep.

"So," Amy began. "Keep calm, help both of us, and why don't you tell me about this Cudspiracy?"

Honey blinked, before relaxing. She'd still keep herself just on edge, in case the shrink pulled some sheep dip syringe on her, but it was hard to deny that explaining the hidden truth behind the world to a fellow pred, one who was willing to listen, was gonna be a real buzz.

.

.

.

**Congratulations to Berserker88, who correctly guessed that Honey Badger, not Dawn Bellwether, would be the one being treated. I love writing Honeybun, and she's great fun in my collar stories, but in the real world…**

**Yeah, when you think about it, the anti-sheep stuff begins to ring a **_**bit**_ **problematic. Especially with the very energetic/ hyper Honey I've always written.**

**But what next? Subscribe, follow, favourite and comment to find out. And, if you have spare time, make sure to check out L'EDgendary as well.**

**.**


	15. The Bin and the Badge 2

**Chapter 2**

.

.

"-and then, tracing back further, you get to the Renaissance, and the reformation of the Church of the Lamb by our good old bad ram, Martin Loomer," Honey carried on, her mouth, still muzzled, beginning to get dry. She paused, getting some saliva in her mouth and running it around, trying to keep it all moist.

"Want a drink?" Amy asked.

She paused and blinked. "You really think I'm that dumb?" she asked, before laughing. "You _really_ think!?"

The binturong nodded slightly, noting down the laugh before flicking over to another page on her rapidly depleting notebook. This had been… -something.

"The new church you see, was take four! Take four! On trying to make a new world religion, to indoctrinate mammals into the flock. Ewedaism, the old church, Islamb and now the new church! Why d'ya think they pulled it over to the New World, huh? New world, new colony, new religion, new chance to gestate an army and then take over. -Course, they failed what with the native mammals fighting back and other mammals coming over, so they began moving things around. Now, given that they owned the banking system and like and helped found Zootopia, while keeping it out of the States or the Dominion, I was a bit lost for a while. Why not use their power to make it sheep-only? Sure, there's disposable workers for industry and stuff, all powered with the energy from the city's uber dam on the Kula river. Most of that energy all went to the climate works, but that's obviously a test as part of their global terror-forming plan! Don't want no desert or ice wastes in the age of wool, just rolling green boring meadowlands. But why did they want old Zoot to be a melting pot? Obvs, because it gave them a petri dish to test on. Them nighthowlers were the test you see? First test, to see how the world would react when they launched their attack. We live in the perfectly balanced city, as all things should be, so it was the best way to see if they could turn the modern mammal against one group… -and then after that another… -and after that another. And _boom!_ Bye-bye Zootopia, hello, Ewetopia! ..or Ramtopia or Lambtopia"

"I see," the therapist noted, before pausing. Her patient was enjoying this, just being able to preach and preach and preach. Cudspiracy 101 had taken them across all seven continents, back to the stone age, and here and back again. She'd put up with it though, given that if there was any hope to be had, in both understanding and helping this mammal, it would start with Honey trusting her.

Speaking of which.

"Say?" she asked. "Do you want that muzzle off?"

There was a pause, the ratel eyeing her up, thinking and thinking. She looked over at the guard, standing in the door, then back at Amy. "Sure thing boss." With a few swift paw movements, off the thing came, the honey badger opening wide and stretching her mouth. "That's nice," she commented. "That's real nice. -Speaking of nice… That's what Nick and Judy were! They fought the cudspiracy and halted it for just a little bit! They're real heroes, you know?"

"We all have a lot to thank them for," Amy replied, smiling. Just as she'd done the three other times the fox and bunny pair had turned up in Honey's conversation. Amy wished she could mention her involvement with the duo. . Knowing that she helped Wilde could be a big trust builder between the two of them. But confidentiality laws were confidentiality laws...

Maybe she'd talk to Nick about it. Ask if she could say some things, or get him to come to her in person? Would Honey trust the fox more than her? Then again, she'd seemed a bit hostile to her wolf guard, who would surely be on the other end of the sliding scale. Why was that, she wondered, before deciding she might as well ask. "Given that I'm a predator, I can understand why you'd trust me more," she began, before looking over at the wolf. "But wouldn't he be the least likely to be in the conspiracy. He's a wolf after all. Surely sheep would never work with him."

There was a glint in Honey's eye. "Oh yeah, the sheep hate wolves alright. Even more than lions. And that's why you should always trust a lion and never a wolf!"

Amy blinked. Not for the first time, the honey badger had lost her. "Can you explain that, please?"

"Well," she said proudly, jiggling about in her straitjacket. "What's worse, more humiliating, than knocking out and killing up your least favourite species? -Turning them into a pet! They've been warring against the wolves for eons, drugging and manipulating them. Most of the poor dum-dums are now just brainwashed sheep-dogs. Sleeper agents. The works!" She paused, fixing her eyes on the very indignant guard. "Say the right codeword to him, and he might kill us all. Or, as he's been trained and raised to protect the sheep, he's doing just that right now."

"I don't know what you're on," the wolf guard butted in. "But last I checked, I don't know any sheep, and I'm pretty damn sure my brain's working fine - which is more than I can say for you."

Honey looked at him like he was a cub that had just done something adorably cute. "Aaaawwww. You say that, good boy. Don't worry, we'll find the cure. You'll be free soon. It's not your fault they made you this way. You don't deserve what's going to happen to you, don't you? Don't you good boy?"

"Dare I ask what'll happen to me?" the guard huffed.

"Well," Honey began, smiling again. "When you're not useful anymore, the sheep will take you into a woodshed or the like with a shotgun, and you can figure out the rest. BLAM! SPLAT! D-E-D, DEAD!"

Amy coughed loudly - best keep tensions with the guard from escalating further. "Yes, well, that's very vivid," she said, closing her notebook. "Miss Badger…"

"-Call me Honey, please."

"Honey, I'll be seeing you soon. However, as you've behaved, I think we can take you to a nicer cell and get you out of that straitjacket while I work on your case." She paused, glowering slightly. "That said, you injured the guards on your way here, and if you're violent again we'll have to keep you in a more secure facility. None of us want that, so please don't make this harder for yourself."

"Oh no!" she chirped. "I won't. Double-triple promise." She frantically began nodding her head up and down, as Amy gestured to the guard to move her up. As he moved in though, she paused.

"Say…" she began, pausing. "I totally get that on pain of death you may not be able to say this, but…"

"But?"

"But," Honey said, her voice lowering slightly. "You knew about my theories and the like. You totally knew." She paused and stared into Honey's eyes as they began to tear up. "Only a few resistance fighters know about it… Which one sold me out?" She sniffed. "Which of my friends turned traitor?"

.

.

.

The cell door opened and Honey was escorted out, the wolf guard guiding her. Amy followed, assuaging the ratel. "I promise, though, no-one betrayed you or handed you into us,"

"I'm still not totally sure 'bout that," the badger noted, pausing slightly. "But I think I'll try and trust you. There's very few mammals I do that to, you hear?"

"I hear," Amy agreed, as Honey was taken out of the padded cell and up to one of the secure care wards. The badger's cooperation was a big relief for Amy. Cooping up mammals in the padded cells full-time was a miserable experience for both patients and staff. Speaking of which, a crew of caretakers was coming down now, with a push trolley full of items. Honey watched as they passed her, before stopping outside of the cell next door to her old one. One of the attendants, dressed in a full up hybrid hazmat/bomb suit, checked that they had what was required. A bowl of food and water, a new straightjacket and a bag of changing supplies. He gulped, before entering the room, a set of rabid screams and slobbering sounds streaming out as they struggled to deal with the patient. Amy stayed until the tired, battered, stained and bruised attendants dashed out of the cell. One of them angrily threw a used incontinence pad into the bin, before slamming the door shut and looking up at Amy. "Why can't we just sedate that one?"

"His family doesn't want us too," she said, as she peeked in at the most difficult patient they kept here. It was a long journey for the family to take, coming all the way from Outback Island, but there was no facility there could handle… well, _that_.

"It really puts the 'mania' into his species name, doesn't it," the attended grunted, as he walked away.

Amy, though, was more hung up on the thought of his family, and that of another patient's.

.

.

It hadn't been that long ago that she'd met with another member of the medical profession; one involved in research, drug development and biochemistry.

She'd given Amy dockets of information, copies of pictures and handwritten notes. She'd talked and talked about her younger sister, what she did and her long history, before asking Amy if she would go ahead and section her.

At first, Amy had been sceptical of the information and unsure about the reports sent by post, or of the interviews with friends and associates. But then, as the news of nighthowlers being in play again rang out and the older sister begged her, pleaded with her, to do something before her younger sibling did something crazy, she'd realised something.

"Something's up with you. What is it?"

The sister's strenuous denials confirmed it.

"There's another reason why you're trying to get me to do this. Please. Tell me."

So, she had. She'd told her of the time a liaison from the Mayor's Office came to talk to her, asking about bringing her onto a project of national importance. Critical importance. There was a new epidemic spreading, one that could tear Zootopia apart. Reportedly it was a secret, the risks of telling the public too high and, while she was nervous about the matter, she had agreed. She'd sworn an oath to help and to protect and heal, and, as far as she knew, this was officially sanctioned. The Mayor was behind this, wasn't he? So, after signing the state secrets act, she was shown the mammals who'd already succumbed. The savage predators, their numbers growing day by day as reports of their disappearances grew.

Yes, they were missing off the street, but that had to be done to keep panic to a minimum. It was government-sanctioned, after all. It had to be the right thing to do, and so she'd set to work, trying to find a cure but never quite pinning it down. The numbers had just grown and grown and then, when she felt that keeping it a secret wasn't going to be viable anymore, she'd asked the Mayor about it. Asked him what the chief of police and others thought.

She then learned just how much of a secret it was, right before it all crumbled. Led away in cuffs, thrown in jail as an accessory to kidnapping, she'd felt scared, confused and betrayed. She'd thought what she was doing was legal, necessary, critical to keeping the people safe. Only now she was behind bars, her lawyer telling her that her signing of the secrets act should provide enough plausible deniability to help her get bail at the very least

But she'd watched on as the case was cracked open and exposed, and the mammals she was locked in with soon turned against her. Rumours flew quickly in there, and she felt like a kick or a stab was waiting just around the corner. She could hold on, though. Her sister visited. She told her sternly that she was dead to her, but there were so many little ticks and in-jokes that Dr Madge Badger had known this was an act. Winks and nudges, and 'I'm totally not gonna's', all of which told her that Honey thought she was a victim. In here as she'd been fighting against the first wave of 'the Cudspiracy.

She got bail after a few days and went home. She called her boyfriend, who was away, and asked him to be there, to help her, to hold her. She was scared. She was scared as the lawyers worked away, even as hers argued that the recording of her that Hopps made, when she'd asked about Chief Bogo's opinion, helped further her case. She was scared as the very justification that Lionheart had used, that it was too dangerous for the public to know, turned out to be true. Savage predators, injured mammals, riots, rampant fear and discrimination; it had felt like the world was coming to an end. She cried, knowing that while the Mayor had betrayed her, he'd been right. Her duty was to cause the least amount of harm, and that was exactly what she'd been doing. Now she might go to jail for it, all as Zootopia fell apart.

Honey had urged her to go into hiding, but Madge had refused. The only thing she could think of doing, to try and redeem herself, was to continue her work to try and find a cure. She asked Mayor Bellwether if she'd be allowed to. After all, she knew more about the savage preds than anyone. She'd been refused. She'd asked again, and again. Meanwhile her case had ticked on, before being dropped by the old DA just as his term ended. Her lawyer had said that the old wolf, given all that was happening, had felt that Lionheart and his team had been in the right. They hadn't exactly taken those mammals against their will, had they? Besides, who could fault them when the true reality presented itself. Who could blame them when they simply did the least harmful option they could choose?

So, she had her reprieve, though Lionheart would still face judgement. Her solace was only temporary though, given Bellwether promoting ADA Kurt Wassermaim, a highly vocal 'savage critic', to the open position ahead of firm favourite, and far more moderate, ADA Jeanette Deaux. As a result, there was an underlying fear that the new DA would double down on the ex-Mayor and likely reopen the case against other members of his team. Not just Madge, but even the security detail.

So it wasn't even that much of a reprieve. The world was still going wrong. Thankfully, though, she finally got her wish from Mayor Bellwether. She could return to the lab to help out the ZPD/ZMS taskforce meant to deal with the savage predator crisis.

And then the truth emerged about everything before she had even attended her first shift there.

Madge hadn't known what to think. She grimly realised, not long after, that her return to the lab might coincide with a dart being fired at herself. What better way to take out such a thorn in their side, and supress the research, than turning her? Over time, though, she was overtaken by a giddy optimism. She helped develop the final cure, feeling untold relief as she finally brought all the mammals back. What's more, thanks to a popular campaign led by the original missing mammals, none of whom had much ill-will or desire to push charges against former Mayor Lionheart, it was decided to drop those against him and thus her.

She was free. She was safe. She'd gripped onto her new life hard. The diamond ring on her finger was proof enough about that.

But, as the ashes fell, she saw a new fire begin to burn. She'd always put up with her sister. Cared for her, despite her behaviour. After all, it was harmless. Except it no longer was. She saw the Bellwether conspiracy as proof, not that she needed such a thing before, and redoubled her efforts. Worse still, society seemed to be ready to empower Honey onwards. After all, it was a very bad time to be a sheep after Bellwether's very public downfall, and especially after the revelation that many of her subordinates were sheep like her. Low level ovinophobia was somewhat ignored by society, as it guilted itself about the Nighthowler plot and the treatment of preds, and in some circles it became popular if not celebrated to 'call them out'. Soon everyone had seen posts, or protest signs, or the odd internet article which got away with saying vicious things about them. Whole progressive media sites, some of them spin-offs of reputable newspapers, seemed to almost adopt it as a central worldview. Sheep jokes were now far more common and tolerated far more than pred, bunny or other ones. Some sheep who tried to speak up were accused of simply being apologists or stooges for Bellwether, or speciesist pred haters. Many trendy young activists put forward arguments that you couldn't ever be speciesist against sheep no matter what you said or did, as they had 'power' or something. That one still confused Madge.

It didn't matter though. What did matter was that Honey began making a name for herself online, and mammals were believing her and encouraging her on. She was even becoming popular on ZooTube. Many comments congratulated her on calling out the sheep and their privilege, and urged her on. Alarm bells were ringing, and the worry took over Madge again. Her sister was burying herself deeper and deeper into her hole, while beginning to talk about revenge. Attacks. Fighting back against the sheep.

Madge hadn't been in jail long, but she'd been there long enough to know her sister couldn't cope if she was thrown in there. If she went in, she most likely wouldn't come out again. She was the squarest peg, and it would be like forcing her into the roundest hole. It wouldn't work and she'd suffer. It would be hell. There was no way she could cope, other than ending it.

How could you ever let that happen to your own family?

That was what it came down to in the end; family. To most outside mammals, Honey Badger was a raging speciesist loon. Many of her designs and concepts were pure on terror, hate crimes, and so on. The simmering anger against sheep was being ignored for now, but a vigilante revenge attack or a full-on assault on the species as a whole? There would be no getting out of it. She'd go to jail and never return.

Madge cried into Amy, asking her to try and fix her sister; to show her the mercy that the courts most likely wouldn't. She hated the idea of locking her up and trying to change her, but she could think of no better option. She'd been forced into making that same decision she'd made with Lionheart and the savage predators, but it was even less clear this time. Was her sister even insane, or just a vile speciesist? Was the risk she might pose to others, and herself, a good enough reason to take away her freedom? She didn't know. She really didn't, and it scared her. Everything scared her.

She just wanted her sister back and safe, and with the nighthowlers returning, she felt that leaving it any later would result in Honey doing something unforgivable in retaliation.

Amy, standing at the same decision this poor mammal had had to make twice before, closed her eyes and agreed with her. Honey Badger was heavily on the spectrum, arguably enough to make her unfit to stand trial, but it was debatable. Her behaviour was erratic, confusing, and her ideology bizarre and nonsensical. Then again, the same could be said about flat-earthers,anti-vaxxers or religious fundamentalists, and they didn't belong here. But this mammal was a risk to others. It was enough to justify bringing her in for observation and diagnosis, for now.

Despite getting what she came for, Madge wept. After all, she'd just got her sister committed; sectioned. She begged Amy to never let Honey know about her involvement, fearing their relationship would be destroyed and how much it would hurt her younger sister, to whom trust was fickle, yet that in her sister was absolute.

Amy had promised.

.

.

"But," Honey said, her voice lowering slightly. "You knew about my theories and the like. You totally knew." She paused, and stared into Honey's eyes, tears beginning to form in them. "Only a few resistance fighters know about it… Which one sold me out?" She sniffed. "Which mammal I trusted did this to me?"

Amy leant in, as the wolf guard came to help move her along. "It wasn't hard. We had a look at your ZooTube channel and your old records, then we interviewed a few mammals.. We came to this decision by ourselves."

"No betrayal?" she asked, hope returning to her voice.

"I promise, though, no-one betrayed you or handed you into us," Amy assuaged, as the wolf guard led Honey out. Off she went to her new room, Amy standing by as some staffers dealt with poor Mr Taznarian in his cell. She eventually left him and his odd grunts and slobbering sounds and returned to her office.

Taking away a mammal's freedom when they hadn't done anything, all to help others. To protect others. Both she and Madge had agreed that it was necessary, justified, the lesser of all evils. But it was still an evil, wasn't it? Wasn't their fundamental creed to do no harm? Could those two worlds, those two moralities, ever truly co-exist?

She was a psychiatrist, not a philosopher. Most of the time, those things didn't tend to go together, though she personally knew at least one colleague where it did…

Regardless, would there ever be a right answer?

She sighed, knowing that she'd better get to work on something else and keep her mind out of that bottomless pit.

.

.

Eventually she signed off with her preliminary notes and suspicions, before signing out of the building.

She hoped that she had earned Honey's trust - or at the very least was on the way to earning it. That was the very first step in the very long road they were about to travel. She was pretty certain that they'd be able to get a full diagnosis and section by the end of the next day, which meant Honey would be kept here for the foreseeable future. It would be tough, it would be hard, but one day they'd get to the end.

With such a tricky case like this, Amy hoped it would be a happy one.


	16. The Bin and the Badge 3

**Chapter 3**

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By the next day, Honey had settled in to her new cell. They called it a room, but she knew the truth. There was a nice comfy bed, her own bathroom, a little TV with all the channels along with some books, but it was still a cell. They said she had to be in here at a certain time and that they'd lock the door at night, so it was a cell. That, and the fact that the whole place was a prison. The honey badger knew that very well; she wasn't stupid. She had an area she could mingle with other _prisoners_ in, and they could go out into a _prison yard_, which was surrounded by fences made to keep them in. They all looked nice, were comfy and pretty, and there were nice and innocent things to do. She snorted at it all. The sheep thought they were oh so clever, didn't they? Try and disguise it all with nice licks of paint and smiling staff and happy words. There were dumb cub games and activities, to keep all those prisoners happy and occupied but not too stimulated. She knew the facade when she saw it though. She knew their plot, and that she was being spied on right at this very moment. They were waiting for the right moment in time, the right chance, all so they could pounce and take her. Kill her or drug her.

She was scared. She was angry. She was determined.

She was going to get out of this, some way, somehow. It was just a matter of waiting for her opportunity. She'd already got that binturong tricked up, believing that she was going to cooperate with her! The sheepdog… -Might be an issue.

She sighed, bouncing slightly as she sat on her bed, looking over at her new uniform. Like all things, she knew it was a prison one, albeit much nicer than an official prison version. A comfy tracksuit, with a shirt and jacket, rather than a colour coded one-piece jumpsuit.

She looked up at the clock and grumbled. Breakfast would soon be starting, far later than she would have had hers, which bugged her to no end.

It…

It just wasn't right!

Breakfast simply wasn't that late! They'd taken her from her home, and were now doing things _wrong_, though she guessed it was all part of their nasty little plan. She'd been half tempted to wait it out, outside the canteen, waiting for it to open up. Then again, however much it made her cringe, she knew she had to adapt. Try and keep in her cell, not draw attention to herself, play along…

It was time to go now, and she hurried along, glancing from side to side just to be sure of things. She arrived just over fifteen minutes early and slumped down next to the door. Glancing through the clear bit of glass in it, she watched as the staffers set things up in anticipation. She also kept an eye out for anything suspicious. After all, if there was a sheep setting things up in there, she'd want to avoid anything it could contaminate.

Her ears rose and she turned to see a new arrival. A white rabbit, twitching about nervously, as he mumbled to himself, glancing up at a clock as he did so. "_Late, late, late…_"

"You okay?" she asked, cautiously.

He looked up and shook his head, his buck teeth chewing on his lower lip as he did so. "No-no-no… -Too much going on. I'm late for it all. Late for a very important date, you see. Yes, a very important date."

"What date?" she asked, before pausing, a bit of concern running through her. "Is it a wedding? My sister is gonna get married, and I plan to be a bridesmaid! It's a real long way away though."

"I… No, not that."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. It'd be really evil of the sheep to bring you in here right before that."

He paused, blinking at her. "Uh… -No, I… -Uh, I handed myself in. I was late, late you see. For a very important date. But I can't remember what it is or why. I just know I'm late. Very, very late."

"Right then," Honey said, a smile on her face as she pointed at him, chuckling. "You know, you're crazy, and I mean super duper crazy!"

"I… uh…" he mumbled.

"Probably things the sheep put in your stuff. Do you have any favourite foods here? Watcha having for breakfast?"

"Well," he mumbled, fidgeting his fingers against each other, I like hay wafers with some alfalfa, along with some tea."

Honey's face winced up, and she stuck her tongue out in disgust. "_Blearghhhh_… Even before I knew it was drugged up, I'd never eat that stuff."

Whatever she was about to say after that was cut off though by the door opening, a camel nurse letting her in. It really was far too late for breakfast, so now she could have it she raced in, straight towards the cereal table. Looking through it, she scanned for a box of Honey Chomps, up and down the table, seeing dozens of brands for dozens of species, before the horrifying reality sunk in; there wasn't an ounce of Honey Chomps to be seen. "No-no-no," she hissed, one of her paws clenching tighter. She couldn't frickin' believe it...

"May I help you?" a nurse asked. She was a tahr, almost like a deer but with a sheeplike head and with curved horns, like a goat. Any semblance to the evil mammals of white though was counteracted by the differences. As far as the flock was concerned, she was a pawn, a nothing, which meant she was as harmless as anyone here was to Honey. With that in mind, the honey badger looked up at her before pointing at the table.

"Uh, Honey Chomps?"

The nurse looked over and shook her head. "We don't have any."

"Well, get some," Honey said, a bit irritated. Wasn't what she needed to do obvious? She had honey chomps for breakfast, period. That was what she had. That was what she always had!

The nurse blinked. "I could put them on the order list. They'll come in on Saturday."

Honey gasped. "Tha… That's three days away! What am I supposed to eat until then?"

"There's plenty of other things you…"

"-NO!" the ratel angrily butted in. She'd tried to be reasonable, sweet lord she had, but she had her limits. This was simple; this was serious. They'd taken her from her home, they'd already messed up the time of breakfast, and now they weren't going to get her cereal for a few more days! She'd already suffered enough. She'd already bent over backwards plenty of times for them. It was all so unfair! Things were already messed up far too much when compared to how they should be, and Honey had had enough of it. "I want my Honey Chomps! NOW!"

"We don't work like that," she said, backing off a little bit as Honey began to breathe in deeply, her fists clenching. It wasn't fair. It really wasn't fair! "How about some honey on…"

"-I WANT MY HONEY CHOMPS!" she shouted, before marching forwards. The nurse tried to step back but Honey ploughed into her legs before she could react. The ratel pushed into her, throwing her arms out with force, the nurse trying to block it but failing. It was a simple shove, one that didn't really tax the mammal who did it, but it was enough to make the tahr lose balance and fall on her rear.

A hush came over the room.

There were more mammals in it now but everyone was quiet, looking at her, not that she knew. She was angry, she was upset, and she was running away and ignoring them as she raced back to her room. Her cell. The place that she was having to stay which wasn't her home, wasn't her bunker where she could be safe, but it was all she had as the dumb tears just began flowing and flowing and flowing…

It wasn't fair.

It just wasn't!

Everything was wrong, and stupid, and she remembered that it was the sheep doing this to her. It was those damn evil sheep, and knowing that helped her feel better. She was crying less now. She could focus her anger on the sheep.

This was their fault, and she could fix it.

Get back at them.

Especially with the help of the dynamic duo, Wilde and Hopps.

Through the odd sob, she smiled. She was looking forward to her revenge.

.

.

Amy read the reports and looked at the recordings before sighing. She'd been hoping that things wouldn't be getting too hectic too soon, yet right away she was seeing her new patient having a meltdown.

Well, more a tantrum, but still something one wouldn't expect from a mature adult mammal. Then again, from what she'd seen and heard, Honey Badger was _not_ one of those. The question, or rather questions, was what she was, why she was, and what they could do about it.

Amy had theories, ideas, plans…

She had to check things out, but there was a roadmap she could follow, and hopefully these things would work out better than Honey's morning. So, she strolled down to the secure ward the ratel was staying on before checking in with the nurses. The tahr Honey had knocked down had made a report of the incident and was doing okay, more surprised than anything. All the paperwork and due diligence had been done, which meant that everyone was more or less covered. Amy talked a little to them, gleaning some more tidbits that she'd previously been unaware of, which she then chose to follow up on.

Finally, close to half an hour later than planned, she rapped on Honey's door before a guard let her in. He closed it behind her, keeping watch, as she settled onto the bed next to her patient.

…

"So," she began softly. "I heard you got a bit upset earlier on."

Honey was sitting by her, staring into the corner of the room, doing her best to ignore her.

"You also said a few little hurtful things to another one of my patients. One who was minding his day, tried to talk to you, and you insulted him."

Slowly but surely, the honey badgers' ears perked up slightly, and she turned around, gazing at her through the corner of her eye. "Was this the grey bunny?"

"He was a white rabbit."

"Tch…" Honey grunted, before shaking her head. "Close enough, I guess. I didn't insult him though."

"You called him crazy," Amy pointed out. Almost immediately, the ratel's face snapped around to look at her.

"What?" she asked incredulously, her voice racing up in volume. "That? But… -I was just telling the truth. He _is_ crazy!"

"He has severe anxiety issues, which tend to make him forget things," she explained, before frowning a bit as she remembered the sad situation he was in. "Forgetting things then makes him more anxious, and it just goes on and gets worse."

"That's just a real long explanation of the type of crazy he is," she justified, before a victorious smirk spread across her muzzle.

Amy frowned. "If you really think that, you could try to be more polite about it," she suggested. "Maybe just say that he has issues. He may not like being called crazy, you know."

"I…" Honey began to say, only for her ears to dip down. "I hurt his feelings, didn't I?" She looked down, chewing with her muzzle slightly. She looked remorseful to Amy, but irritated as well. "-It's… -But we're meant to tell the truth too, and… -and it's just dumb and doesn't make logic," she muttered, before pointing at the therapist. "I don't get why it's so easy for you, but for me it isn't."

"Well," Amy explained, "I'm pretty sure that you know that you have issues, just like he has. Issues that make it hard for you."

She nodded. "Yeah! I mean, my family all says I have this 'autism' thing, and it makes me act different. But, like, I just feel normal doing these things, and others are _weird_…"

"Weird in what way?" Amy asked, encouraging her on. There was a glint in the ratel's eyes.

"Well, they always tell me to tell the truth, but then say that I shouldn't tell the truth, which just doesn't make logic! Then they say I'm spending too much time putting things in the right order, as if they can't be asked…"

"So, making things not messy? Cleaning up…"

Honey chuckled. "Nah. I'm a horrible mess bug, pretty much. But certain things gotta be in certain places, or they look better lined up, or there's an order that things are best done in and other mammals don't see that! And then they get mad with me for doing it all the right way!"

"I'm guessing this whole breakfast thing was due to things being in the wrong order, then?"

Honey nodded rapidly. "Yeah. I have my breakfast at six-o-clock, on the dot, watching Sheep Propaganda Channel 6 while protected by my tinfoil hat, as I munch on my Honey Chomps. That's the way it is!" She paused slightly, grumbling. "And if you're gonna take me from my home, stick me in this jail cell, and mess everything up, the least you can do is have my Honey Chomps!"

Amy nodded, pausing as she noted everything down. "This isn't a jail cell."

Honey snorted. "I was locked in earlier. If it smells like a jail cell, feels like a jail cell, make logic that it is, doesn't it?"

"You're not in jail. You're in a hospital."

There was a pause as Honey thought, before she shrugged and stood up. "So, I can check myself out and go home then, I guess" she said, walking past Amy and grabbing the door. Opening it up though, she was met by the imposing figure of one of the wolf guards. "'Scuse…"

…

She frowned, before marching into a wall of wolf, shaking him badly from the unexpected and heavily underestimated impact. Recovering though, he put his paws on her shoulder, braced himself and held her still in the doorway. "I advise you get back in there," he warned. "You're on thin ice as it is."

…

"Fine…" she hissed, before grabbing his paws and chucking them off her. She marched back up to Amy and looked her right in her eyes. "Some hospital, not letting me go home, is it?" she barbed.

The binturong, slightly worried by her patients imposing gaze, kept her calm. "We can't let you go until you're better."

"And when will that be?"

"Well, I plan to put forward my diagnosis and recommendation later today which, once approved, means you'll be here until we feel it's safe to release you. That's when you admit your problems, and we've got you well on the track of getting better," Amy explained.

"Okay. I have this autism thing. Can it be fixed? Nope! So I'm here forever! Whoop-de-dooo! I'm in jail!"

She marched away from Amy, right into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Amy could easily use her key card to override the lock and march in, but she wouldn't do that. This would be a long and tiring process of building trust, given what she might need to do later. If Honey wanted some privacy, she'd get it. Amy though would sit by the door, listening in and waiting until she'd calmed down. She was angry in there and needed to work it out. As she did so, though, the binturong sighed. Much as she hated to admit it, bringing her in was the right decision. For all Honey talked about being in a prison here, the real thing would be so much worse for her.

.

.

She couldn't stand it.

Honey just couldn't stand it any longer.

She smashed her fists into the wall, feeling the cathartic pulses of pain that came with each impact.

They filtered through her rage and tears, and helped her focus.

A few slams of the side of her head into the wall did the same thing, only a bit better.

She still cried though. Sniffing, her teeth bared.

Why couldn't they tell the truth! Why was that damn binturong being so two faced? Just say that she was locked up already and be done with it. Everything in that moment was just too much for her.

She'd been captured. The sheep had her. She was in a damn jail! She wasn't a bad mammal, she wasn't, she knew that! It was them, testing her, and it was unfair.

Everything, absolutely everything, in the entire world was cruel and nasty and just not fair.

…

Honey felt a bit calmer now. She was able to wash her face, and looked up to see her red and puffy eyes. She needed a drink, so she went to the toilet. She wasn't going to trust the tap water, given all the stuff the sheep happened to put in it; fluoridation and brain-chems and all that. She'd dreamt about starting a war to stop that, in one of her many daydreams… She had no bombs though, slight problem there. It would likely also backfire. Worst came to the worst, and it might be the opportunity for them to implement the Dr Strangelamb ratio of ten sheep mammals to every non sheep mammal.

So, not good.

Really not good.

Regardless, she'd worked out that this place used rainwater recycling to flush the toilets and water the gardens. She smiled. Those regulations were put in by the green lobby, which was secretly run and puppeted by the sheep, trying to ruin and de-growth the economy. Soon the climate wall would be turned down to save energy, and everyone would be made poor by putting solar panels and stuff in dumb places like the rainforest, what with its clouds and leaf cover, even though the city got more than enough clean energy from its dam.

All part of a plan to make everyone poorer and get rid of the exotic species.

Then they'd mess up the grid, mammals without thick wool would freeze in the winter, and the sheep would be dominant.

-Not that the oil industry, or the housebuilders, or the conservationists, or the unions, or the bankers, or pretty much anyone else was any better.

Any movement with any real weight had been infiltrated to some degree or other. All serving the greater purpose.

But, in this case, they'd tripped over their own clipped-off tails! Thanks to their attempts to make everything more expensive, 'saving water' when they had plenty, they'd given her a nice free source of non-drugged water, so she wasn't going to die of thirst.

She looked at the toilet, then took off the cistern lid and drunk from inside it, before placing it back down, chuckling as she did so. Why was it that so many idiots thought she drunk from the pan? Now _that_ would have been crazy.

She was feeling better now. However, she thought she'd stay in here. It was nice. Quiet. She frowned though as a knock interrupted that. That damned lying therapist. "GO AWAY!"

"Honey. I was wondering if you were feeling better?"

"Was, till you spoke up," she hissed.

"And why's that?"

"You're a liar!" she accused, shouting it out. "Trying to confuse me and all! You act like you're my friend, and you're trying to help me, but I know the truth!"

…

"Is this about the 'jail' thing?"

…

"Honey?"

"Yeah," she hissed. "Why don't you just say this is a jail, and the sheep have me locked up here, and be done. I can't go home, can I? You're keeping me in till you fix something that can't be fixed and I don't want fixed! I'm here forever, so it's a jail! Just say it!"

"Honey, do you know what a real jail would be like?"

"Like this…" she muttered.

"Well," Amy began. "How about I tell you."


	17. The Bin and the Badge 4

**Chapter 4**

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**AN:** **Just a fun thing to mention, series 1 has now tipped over into the 6 digits. Wooohooo! I'd like to thank my ever diligent proofer, Dancou Maryuu, and all my followers, likers and commentators. Hope you've enjoyed it so far, as there's still plenty to come.**

.

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"Go on then," Honey huffed. "What would being sent to the big house be like?"

"Let's start with your first day," Amy began. "You'd be marched in in an ugly jail uniform, chained to others. You'd be undressed, showered, probed, searched, de-loused, given an ugly prison uniform, inducted and then put into a cell half the size of your room that you might be sharing with someone else. If that was the case, you'd have to go to the bathroom with them next to them, and your bathroom wouldn't be separate. You'd have to use a toilet right next to your bed."

Honey cringed slightly, before looking away, her paws fidgeting with each other. "Yeah," she said, a slight inflection of worry creeping in. "I've seen a jail cell before. And those back-zipped uniforms they wear… But… But a uniform in blue and one of these things are pretty much the same thing. Just with stripes and not spots."

"I've heard the prison ones are awkward, uncomfortable and baggy," Amy pointed out. "And if you got sent to a real prison, you'd be in khaki, orange or red, depending on what type of place you were in."

"Oh, yeah," Honey chuckled, shaking her head. Blue uniforms were for the low security male inmates, like what Lionheart wore during his brief stint, with medium security and high getting yellow and red respectively. She'd learnt all the uniform colour codes, even the fact that youths in proper juvie wore black and white. She slapped herself slightly for forgetting all that. "Me just being a bit dumb there…" she said, laughing a little. It was dumb, and a bit silly…

"You wouldn't be laughing like that in there, though," Amy pointed out, a grave tone in her voice. Honey paused, turning to listen in. "We believed that you might have been about to attack some sheep, yes?"

Honey paused. She'd been working on… contingencies… maybe planning out some pre-emptive strike ideas for fun. But she wasn't really planning an attack yet. After all, she had nowhere near enough support for it to work! If you were going to provoke a giant, you'd have to be ready to win the fight there and then. She'd been getting ready though, boy she had been. She'd even finished designing her brand new anti-sheep 'knit-o-matic' device, her piece-de-resistance. She'd been jumping out and down in glee, ready to start building it, and imagining it up and running.

Had they found out though? Aimed to pre-empt her pre-empt of a pre-empt? A slight wave of worry spreading through her, she guessed she'd have to pull a few little lies. "Nope. I have no idea what you're talking about, at all!"

…

"Suppose you were," Amy continued. "That might get you into a medium or high security jail. It depends on how much damage you've done and how much of a threat they think you are, which also influences how long you get sent away for. Let's say you kill a sheep as you think they are evil. You say they're Bellwether's heirs or something…"

Honey thought it best not to mention that she knew who exactly said heirs were, and had been keeping an eye on them.

"You might get life with parole after fifteen years," she continued. "You get into jail on your first day, and like here, your breakfast is at the wrong time and they don't have the cereal. You act like you did earlier. Here, we let you get back to your room and, though we locked you in for a little, nothing much has changed. There, you'd get a guard hauling you off and giving you a few days in isolation due to a fight. The same for every fight. What they say goes, Honey, and you'd have to go with it and not lash out. Are you able to do that, however 'wrong' they get?"

…

"I…" she said, beginning to chew her bottom lip as she looked away.

"Fifteen years at least, Honey, and I fear that with how you act you'd get far longer than that. They'd likely also deny you at your parole hearings, given your bad behaviour… Do you think you could cope with that? Day in, day out, for the rest of your life."

Beginning to breath a bit faster, Honey's eyes narrowed. "I… I can look after myself!" she defended.

"Maybe you can," Amy agreed. "But you'd suffer horribly in prison. I think we both know that. That's why you're here. So we can help you avoid it."

"So, I'm not stuck in jail as I'm stuck in here," she barbed back. "Why don't you do that to everyone?" She paused as she said it, her eyes widening. Could that be a sheep plot? It seemed like more mammals were having mental problems these days, could that be by design? Something in the water, giving them these problems, and then more would go to these hospitals until only sheep were left on the outside. Or maybe the uptick was the sheep silencing a growing number of potential rebels by casting them as madmammals?

She smiled, a warm and victorious feeling flowing through her, almost tingling her extremities. She smiled with the deep satisfaction of having uncovered another one of their little plots, understanding how, once more, ordinary mammals were caught up in the sheep's machine. It felt good knowing that all this suffering was coming from them, that it was another head of the hydra that, one day, they could kill. She could do something about it in the long distant future, with allies like Wilde and Hopps at her side. Together they'd vanquish a terrible ancient evil, she knew it! Relaxing, she paused as she heard Amy speaking.

"-or problems, that we, in here, can fix."

"Can you repeat that?"

"I said that most mammals out there don't have a real big problem like you do; a problem, or problems, that we can fix in here."

She snorted. "Again. You can't fix how I am. My parents say I'm 'autistic', the doctors do, and I went and checked. You can't fix that!"

"It's not your autism that's the issue," Amy began. "You have many others, ones that can be fixed. Some might be conditions -I'm pretty sure you have some personality disorders. Other issues are ideas you have, but at the end of the day the biggest concern is your extreme hatred of sheep."

"_Duh_, of course I hate sheep!" Honey exclaimed. "I mean, come on! They're _evil?!_ Haven't I been talking about the Cudspiracy all this time?! If you don't hate them, then you're the crazy one!"

.

.

.

Outside, Amy sighed. It seemed Honey had gone defensive again. Checking through her notes, the binturong zeroed in on what she knew of the ratel's childhood. There were no serious issues or incidents that could have caused this pure hatred. No single sheep that had come in and dominated her life, or caused a great hardship. It would be one thing if she'd been Madge's daughter, and seen her mother get taken away as a result of Bellwether's conspiracy. But there was nothing to indicate any sort of traumatizing event; ordinary family, ordinary life and, though there were her mental differences to take into account, nothing big that would shake her up. No bullying, or big news article. She didn't live near any of the larger religious sheep communities, in particular the much more closed sects who'd been the major target for ovinophobia in the past. Then again, Honey didn't live in a place absent of sheep either.

The most extraordinary thing Amy found about Honey's life was how _ordinary_ it was.

The only major incident with a sheep involved around her youth period was a complex legal case over in the United Mammalian States that also involved elephants, moose, deer, cows and horses from various lobbies. Yet that would only confuse things further, given the rather benevolent nature of it all. It wasn't some terrible loss of freedom or cruel act, it was reaffirming the right for all prisoners to continue in the mammal goods trades, such as selling their milk, wool and ivory from behind bars; while more importantly requiring they get full market value for it, given that some prisons had being trying to levy incredibly high charges or taxes. In addition, if any body part was clipped or removed for safety or hygiene purposes, such as wool or tusks, the ruling meant that the prisoner could request that they be sold and would have the right to the full value, rather than the prison disposing of them or selling it themselves.

So, that was unlikely to be a catalyst then. It wasn't even deeply covered in Zootopia, bar a few news reports and a Mayor's announcement that they'd be implementing the same new laws. Not the sort of thing a five-year-old would really find that stimulating.

All in all, from what she'd seen, there was no giant trigger; no one big moment that shifted her and that needed to be unpacked. Nothing that, due to her autism, had fixed sheep into the category of evil.

A question that had dogged Amy throughout this case came up again. Was Honey just a bad mammal? An evil one. Her ovinophobia was so intense that it was almost comical. You could laugh it away, rather than finding it insidious, so it came off more as an overt parody than the real thing.

But, as she could see now, it most certainly was the real deal. It did exist, Honey did feel it, and were she a sheep hating on preds rather than the other way around, like Bellwether's co-conspirators had turned out to be, she'd be a complete pariah like they'd become after Bellwether's arrest. Unworthy of sympathy, she'd just be scum, end of. So, was it a double standard that she wasn't considered just as reprehensible? Was Amy, herself, being slightly ovinophobic by wanting to help this mammal, rather than condemning her blatant speciesism?

She sighed, before shaking her head. Honey was a patient like any other, and maybe, just maybe, she could get her to see sheep in a different light. Besides, there was no reason she couldn't give similar treatment to other varieties of speciesist like prey supremacists. She chuckled. Maybe she'd become Bellwether's psychiatrist, if ever the need arose. Regardless, that was a hypothetical future, and what really mattered was the here and now. There was only so much that she could learn from notes, and so much more from the mammal herself.

"So," she began, thinking it through. There was no point in going on the attack, she needed to draw the full truth out, starting from the very beginning. "Honey. When did you first realise that the Cudspiracy was a thing?"

"The…" Honey began from the other side, pausing briefly. "You know, that's an awesome question!" she continued, her voice lighting up with excitement. "I think I knew from the start, you know," she said, chuckling.

"From your first memory?" Amy asked, before smiling. "I'm not sure what my first memory was, you know. You have a few, but like so many from your preschool years you can't place them into a timeline. Not unless there's a big event or something."

Honey chuckled. "My first memory is throwing up in the back of our car, and my big sis trying to lean over, saying that as she wanted to be a doctor she wanted to go and help me!"

Amy laughed. "Yeah, big sisters. Yours… -sounds nice," she said, managing to correct herself. "Are you early memories good, or bad, or..,?"

"At home, they were great," Honey said, reminiscing. "Totally awesome."

Amy nodded, as a little bit of curiosity got a hold of her. What about school?"

"I…" she began, before sighing. "I really hated school at first, all these teachers telling you what to do and all these other kids just racing around and yapping. It was hella crazy. And I mean crazy."

"You felt overwhelmed?" Amy asked. That sort of feeling wasn't unusual for those on the spectrum.

"That… That describes it, yeah. All these kids who were too crazy, and the teachers seemed not to have a problem with them, but they got annoyed with me as if I was hyper, or when I got upset and began crying or…" She paused, taking in and breathing out a deep breath. "Yeah…"

Amy noted things down, a slight surge of confidence running through her. Was this the right path? Then again, if she pressed on too much, she might lose all this work. She had plenty of time on her paws though, so she could do a little exploratory detour. "When did things start getting better?" she asked.

"Oh, when I changed schools," she said. "The new place had fewer kids, so it was so less crazy! The teachers shouted at me less, too! Let me do my own things a bit more, and encouraged me on."

"This was a specialist school," the binturong pondered, though she knew it was.

"I guess."

"Why weren't you sent there before? Didn't they have your diagnosis?"

"No, you see we lived right next to the old school, and my big Sis, she loved it there. Totally loved it! So they didn't want to move me, they wanted it to work. But when it didn't, I got moved over to the new school. It was a long way away though, so we had to leave early, as my daddy had work after. I'd have breakfast there, then have a nap, then we'd go on to have lessons and fun… Mommy would then pick me up, and get home, and my sister would already be home, Daddy coming back later…"

Amy paused. "So, they were waiting until your sister was old enough to walk to school and back herself. How many years apart are you two?"

"She's three years older than me."

Amy knew that already, but it was best to get confirmation from Honey herself.

"How long were you in the old school?"

"Just two," she said, the right answer. Reception and the first year. When she started year two, Madge was in year five, when her parents or the school felt it was safe enough for her to lock up the house by herself in the morning and walk home to an empty one alone in the afternoon. All fairly sensible. Now time to press on.

"Were any of the teachers at your old school sheep?"

There was a sharp guffaw from the other side and Amy cringed, wondering if she'd given the game away, whether Honey would shut herself up tight now and not letting her in any closer.

"-Oh, if there were, I'd have been dipped and sheared long ago! No, my first teacher… -She was a pine marten."

"What about any classmates?" she asked.

"Oh, there were these spying ewe's," Honey replied. "I always knew they were trouble."

Amy blinked, and then pounced. "Bullies, then?"

"Probably," she replied.

"Probably?"

"Well, yeah! I was years below them, but who knew what mean stuff they were doing, looking all grown up and big."

Amy nodded, before thinking. A small flock of sheep going through a much higher year than she was, likely finishing their primary education as she was starting it. "What do you mean by spying on you."

"Well," Honey explained. "I was sitting in the little play area for us little cubs, trying to keep away from the craziness, and you had these big ewes in the big kid play area. But they weren't with the big kids, they were spying over at us, and talking to each other about some kinda crud, and they tried to call me over."

Amy's heart began racing faster. Was this where Honey's problem began? "So, you saw these big ewes, looking over at the small kits and cubs…"

"-Yeah! They were laughing their wool off - probably telling these secrets which must have been evil to each other. Then they'd go off and play, and there were loads of them, just huddling and talking like crazy or playing these really complex games that they wouldn't let anyone else do…"

"-Did you want to play with them?"

"HA!" Honey scoffed. "No. It was some game with weird-as-fluff rules. Even worse than the dumb games the little cubs wanted to play. No, sir… Besides, they were probably communicating secrets and plots and all sorts of evil between them…"

Amy blinked. "School kids? Discussing world domination?"

"Spreading the messages between the sheep clans more like! After all, who would look or spy on a playground? It's the perfect place for them to swap ideas or plots and the like!"

Amy nodded, before picking up her notes. She thought she had it. She really did. A young cub, neurotypical, and suffering at a school she shouldn't have been at. Hostile and tired at the others cubs, trying to keep to herself, and what does she see? A big flock of sheep, sharing and communicating and interacting with each other in ways that she mentally can't understand, that hurt her mind. Literally. Sheep are herd animals; they instinctively flock together. Honey simply could not comprehend that kind of interaction. Most of them were older ewes, as she said herself, and they saw these small children playing and they come over to watch. Honey doesn't know why. She can't comprehend why. But it's simple, they find the little kids cute, fun, happy and entertaining to watch, but they see this little honey badger cub, all alone by herself and not enjoying anything, and what do they do?

They call her over.

But said cub sees them as these big, powerful, secretive mammals doing things she can't understand, so she's intimidating, and then they call her over.

She becomes suspicious.

Scared.

She backs away.

The first seeds of doubt are planted.

Amy had her theories about how they grew into such a brazen tangle, but she knows the source. A simple misunderstanding that never got corrected due to her changing schools. Then, she became obsessed with this idea, as kids do. As autistic ones like her especially do.

"Say, Honey."

"Uh-hu."

"You know, there's lots of mammals who like to live and work in groups. In packs. In flocks."

"Like sheep but not evil?"

"Yeah… Though, maybe those sheep weren't evil too."

"No, they were," Honey countered. "I remember what I saw."

"You saw them bullying others. You saw them punch and beat?"

"I knew they were doing that."

"So, others came up to you, and said they were doing that?"

"Probably, yeah!"

Amy paused, and smiled. "You mean the other little cubs, who played and were schooled separately from them, got bullied by them? Where? When?"

"No…" Honey dismissed, though a slight hint of irritation crept into her voice. "I mean, it would be on the big kids…"

"Did they come up to the fence and tell you?"

"I…" she barked out, before some irritated mumbling came through the door. "I know what was going on, okay? I know!"

Amy nodded.

"-I didn't forget, I know!"

"You know, you were wondering why they were coming over, looking at you?"

"Yeah. They wanted to mess around with me…"

"Or, some kids who liked little kids, seeing one alone and upset?"

…

There was a pause. Then Honey almost growled out her response. "I remember exactly what happened! I remember everything! I know all about the Cudspiracy, so stop probing, okay!"

"But sometimes two mammals can see different things that are both right," Amy said, working in a compromise. "Maybe this was all a misunderstanding?"

"Oh no, I KNOW it wasn't."

Amy took a breather. Don't attack, flank instead, getting around the defenses. "Does working on the Cudspiracy make you feel good?"

"Uh, Duh! Yes it does!"

"What if you were wrong…"

"I'm not."

"But what…"

"If you did the amount of research I did!" she shouted out, Amy hearing the anger and frustration in the voice and picturing her, near tears, on the other side. "If you did that, you'd know that it was true! I ain't wrong, okay! I! AM! NOT! WRONG! OKAY!?"

"Even if everyone else says otherwise?"

"Just 'cause I'm in a minority, doesn't mean I'm wrong. Even if that's a minority of one!" Honey barked back. "I heard someone real famous said that, and it's true… Besides," she began. "Where's your evidence that the Cudspiracy isn't a thing, huh? I have all my research, all my facts, all my things that line up, making perfect sense! What do you have?"

"I have the majority of sheep living happy lives with others out there," Amy began.

"-Well, that's 'cause they've pulled the wool over your eyes!" Honey yelled. "You're trapped by them, drunk the Kool-Aid…"

Amy flinched back a little, biting her lip. She had a good reason the hate that expression. "And maybe you had an idea," the binturong continued. "An idea, that you pushed forward, and instead of finding all these bits of evidence that made an idea, you found bits of evidence and fitted them together to be a part of your idea."

"-Shut up! -Just SHUT UP!"

Amy flinched back from the comment, Honey certainly sounded very emotional. Her defenses were up, and she wasn't letting anyone in. She sighed, it wasn't like she was going to get any further today.

"Okay," Amy said, as she stood up. "I'll want you to come along to my office tomorrow, and we could have another quick talk. But thanks for this Honey, I hope you enjoy the rest of the day. I've learnt some interesting things today."

She had. She absolutely had. A little childhood fear that she'd become obsessed with, likely at the time that she could start looking up and researching. Her grades, once at her new schools, were brilliant after all. She was intelligent. But, at that young age, she started digging a hole, cherry picking things she learnt and building them into a fantasy.

But this led to another question; why did she never grow out of it?

A family who didn't know or who let her be for too long, enabling her? A hostile world that she didn't understand, and which made her feel powerless? And here, in this theory of hers, in her Cuspiracy, she had a black and white clash between good and evil where she knew where she stood. It gave her purpose, a reason for being, an identity. No wonder she got so agitated when it was called into question! Her worldview being broken and all that effort going to waste, it was a horrible prospect for anyone. She knew, given that Honey had inadvertently reminded her of someone who had suffered just that. Given his need to help others, maybe it would be an idea to bring him on to talk to her, just explain his story and open up some ideas she might latch onto.

There were almost certainly other factors in play as well, personality disorders or such. Amy had seen these behaviors flaring up and preventing her from getting closer to the root of the matter, almost like a defensive shield. All of this was worth addressing in future sessions. If she could take them on first, then it should be a lot easier to get in and deal with the sheep issue.

Amy returned to her office. Maybe Honey Badger was a dangerous speciesist? It didn't matter, Amy Lupelili was a doctor and it was her job to fix this before Honey could harm herself or others.

She quickly sent off her notes and revisions, preparing them for Honey's hearing. Honey would get a second opinion from a doctor from a different hospital, one who Amy could have no contact with. Both of their opinions would be shown to a judge, who'd rule whether they could keep her in, long term. She was pretty sure he'd agree.

All she needed to do now, though, was to make Honey understand that she could be wrong and that that was okay.


	18. The Bin and the Badge 5

**Chapter 5:**

.

The rest of the day had been easier on Honey. She'd stayed in her room for a bit longer, watching the little TV she had, before being introduced to a second doctor, a tapir whose voice would make a good cure for insomnia. There was a second long and boring talk, until she got to talk about her theories of course! After that, though, things settled down. Eventually, it was time for her to go out for dinner. Her little punishment period in isolation was long since over, but she was still a bit more cautious. Still trying to walk on the tips of her pads, making sure not to mess up again.

She'd screwed up earlier, big time.

Getting all worked up and frustrated like that. Everything just swamped her back then but, in hindsight, she should have coped better. She was going to have to cope better. After all, this was what the sheep were trying to do, wasn't it?

Break her.

Snap her…

So, she'd better not let them know that it was getting to her. Instead she kept calm, grabbed some pizza from the canteen, and settled down to munch on it.

It was good pizza!

That was nice. She dug in quickly, adding some good helpings of ketchup as she went. Looking around, checking on the other mammals who were present, she paused as she saw the rabbit from earlier. She felt it best to keep away from him and just mind her own business. Apologising or the like would just feel awkward.

Better not let the sheep understand that too…

Or should she?

She pondered it as she ate. If the sheep did want to break her, they could just shoot her, or torture her until she really was crazy. After all, life here was much nicer than being fixed to a torture loom of theirs… If she wasn't suffering enough they might send a crew of sheep, or trained sheepdogs, in here to get her if they wanted. Then again, she remembered with a smile, neither would be much of a match for her, would they?

But what about an actual prison? That would be like this but much worse, something hammered home by what their pet therapist had told her. Frame her for a crime? Have her sent away for life, struggling to get by…

"Dawn," she whispered, remembering that the ewe of doom was currently stuck in a medium security prison. Could that be why they wouldn't risk it? So that she wouldn't be in close proximity to their leader. After all, she thought, were she to be given the chance to end such a lethal sheep, she'd have to take it! Every moral fibre, every logical decision, every iota of evidence pointed to such an action being the choice she should take. She could easily hustle together a few supplies here and there, find a spare room, and get a knit-o-matic up and running for her! She smiled at the glorious thought and imagined the alpha sheep getting her own close shave, letting it replay in her mind over and over, before returning to the matter at paw. If the sheep intended to lock her up in there forever, was there anything really to lose in taking out their leader?

Although… If the sheep wanted to have her locked up, surely they'd pull some strings andthrow her into a maximum-security prison anyway? That'd be a more surefire way of keeping Honey away from the ex-mayor.

No…

They had her here for a reason. Not jail, here… Why…?

She closed her eyes. They were here to break her. To twist her and render her a non-threat. It was the same with the sheepdogs, after all. Mere victory wasn't enough, they wished to salt the earth and spite those who dared to stand up against them.

So…

Was she going to be dragged out in the middle of the night and have her mind knitted up?

It was a scary thought. Looking down, gulping, she saw one of her paws twitch and shake. If such a plan was what they intended to do, well…

-Or maybe it wasn't?

Maybe they just hoped to wear her down for as long as they could keep her in here? In that case then, surely the best course of action would be to call their bluff, act like they'd succeeded in 'reforming' her, then get out and pull a disappearing act so she could help the resistance from the shadows.

She smiled. She may be a honey badger, but she was _so_ going out outfox the sheep. So much so that her best boy Nicky Wilde would be proud! Taking her new plan in her stride, she put it into action. Up she got, walking over, before planting herself next to the white rabbit. "Hey, uh…" she said, trying to form the words as he looked up at her. "Sorry for calling you those things earlier. I thought I was just telling the truth but, to be honest, I was probably being real mean."

"Oh," he mused. "Th-thank you."

"You're welcome," she said, smiling. "Don't you worry. I'll be working on my polite… -talk, from now on!" She gave herself a fist bump, given that she narrowly avoided saying that she'd be working on her _polite lying_ from now on. She even chuckled at the irony, given that it was her polite lying at work right there.

Up she went, away from the rabbit, before she settled herself on a seat in the recreation area. She guessed she had to show herself being social, and she could bear being next to the others as long as she had a TV to watch.

…

"Uh-hullo!"

Her musings were cut off as a rather large and energetic Siberian tiger walked up to her. "I said hullo!"

"Hi," she replied, before pointing at the TV. "If you don't mind, I'm kind of watching this."

"Well," he said, smiling. "I can watch it with you." And, with that, he turned around and jumped onto the sofa, firing Honey up in the air a little before she landed down again, a bit shaken.

A genuine smile grew across her face though. She had to admit, she'd kind of like that. "I'm Honey," she said, "Honey Badger."

The tiger looked at her and smiled. "Well, how you do? Honey-boo!"

She frowned. "Please don't call me that."

"Are you sure! Well, I guess you are. Just Honey then. Honey, 'Haich-Oh-En-Eeee-Why, is it?"

"Yes…"

"Well," he said proudly, as he closed his eyes and pointed at himself. "My name is Tigger…"

"You mean Tiger?"

"Oh no!" he said, cutting her off. "Tigger. Tea-eye-double-Guh-Errr! That's my name."

He was cut off as the nurse who Honey had scrapped with earlier walked over. "Sergei, have you taken your medicine today?"

"Medicine? Pah! Tigger's do not need medecimal treatment!"

"I'll take that as a no then," she said, before grabbing two pill bottles from her trolley. She checked a clipboard before measuring out some for him. Honey, reading the label, noticed that one was for severe ADHD, the other for delusions. 'Tigger' scoffed at them slightly but, with a bit of encouragement, took them down.

"I bet my parents didn't have this problem back in Petrolpavlova's-Kamehamehusky!"

Honey nodded slightly. He meant Petropavlov's-Kamchatsky. Emigration from the far east of Russia to Zootopia, in particular Tundratown, was fairly common. He didn't have any trace of the accent though.

"Still," he noted, "not the worst mispeeling. My father back in the old country said his mother knew a depressed donkey, who knew an anxious piglet, who knew a kangaroo mother and joey with an oedipal complex, who knew an owl who…"

"An owl?" Honey asked sceptically. "Flappy flappy wild animal that murders mice owl?"

"Well, one of them sapient ones, yes."

She shook her head. That whole sentient non-mammals thing confused her. "What about it? Did it spell its name Woh-Oh-Oll or something?"

"Oh no," Tigger said, shaking his head vigorously. "He spelt his name: 'Three-Ay-Bee-Oh-Chair-Haich-Oh…-and-reverse-En-with-a-smile-on-top!"

"_Right…_" Honey said, as she looked away. Polite lying… Polite lying… "He must have some real bad dyslexia there!"

"Hoo-Hoo…" Tigger agreed. Honey tried to settle down, focussing on the television, and it seemed to work for a few minutes. He left her alone. Then, she got a light tap on the shoulder. "You know," he began, smiling. "The wonderful thing about Tiggers, is that Tiggers are wonderful things!"

She looked at him sceptically. "So is 'Tigger' your name or your species?"

"Both, and the same! -and neither, or maybe on a co-sharing agreement?"

Honey was about to say something, only to be cut off by the tahr nurse. "Sergei, you're almost as confusing as Jeremy Bearimy, you know that?" she said with a smile.

"Who?" Honey asked, before being pointed to a situation in the corner. A melanistic cheetah, by the looks of it a doctor like Amy was, was having a frustrating conversation with a patient, a bear, who must have been the eponymous Jeremy. She noticed that the doctor was wearing tan trousers, a full-length shirt, and had a yellow vest jumper thing above that. The bear, meanwhile, was trying to explain something about 'Tuesday's', 'July', and also 'never'. In the end, the cheetah gave up and walked over, an odd grin on his muzzle.

The nurse who'd pointed the bear out went up to great him. "Dr Anango…" she began, only to be cut off.

"-That broke me," he began, his paws waving over his head in confusion. He mumbled slightly, before pointing over to Jeremy. "...-That bear, over there, he broke me. I'm… I'm done." He then walked off, out of the ward, the nurse looking over in concern.

She composed herself. "I'd better notify everyone that we've got a 'VSD' on our paws."

"VSD?" Honey asked.

"A 'void stares back'," she explained. "And given the doctor, I'd better make sure that no-one's serving chilli tonight." She then walked away, leaving Honey paused in confusion.

"Why with the chilli?"

"You don't want to know," a new voice, complete with a slight russian accent, spoke out. Honey turned and realised with alarm who it was.

"Tigger?"

Tigger looked back, before blinking slightly. "Sorry…" he began, his ears folding down. "Sorry about that. I needed the pills… I am Sergei. Is nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Honey said quietly, before slipping off her seat. She started walking, then began running, quickly getting back into her room and shutting the door. She dived under her covers, holding herself tight and sniffing slightly.

She was scared again. Terrified.

Those pills…

He'd…

If they could do that to him, what could they do to her?

She held herself closely, until sleep finally took her.

.

.

.

The next morning, Dr Lupuleli, filing things away in her office, smiled happily as Honey arrived. "Sorry for the delay," she said. "I know you like routine, but we had a slight emergency earlier. Nothing to worry about… -Unless you're a fan of Mexicat food who's allergic to marshmallow peeps or M&M's…"

"That's incriminatingly specific," Honey pointed out, as she sat down.

Breathing in, Amy nodded. "Let's just say we might be having a repeat of a certain incident," she began, not wanting to go into the details. After all, one day that might be her. "Anyway, yesterday a judge agreed with our diagnosis of you, and gave us permission to keep you here for treatment. The good news is that we believe we know what's wrong with you, and that means we can help."

Honey paused, and Amy looked at her face, trying to see if she could work out what was going on in there. Fear, curiosity, relief? Honey's ears were folded back slightly, and her posture was tense, which seemed to lend credence to the first possibility. "You have a lot of mood swings, don't you?".

"Yeah," Honey said, nervously.

"Don't worry," Amy assuaged. "You're not in trouble or anything. But you suddenly feel angry, or upset, and it takes over you?"

She nodded slightly.

"You have these intense passions which push you on, driving you forward. It's the same with your friendships, isn't it? There aren't many of them, and you find them hard to maintain, but once a mammal earns your trust, you stick with them no matter what because they're your friend, isn't that right?"

"The few I have… Yes…"

"Honey," Amy said, standing up and walking down to be with her. She knelt down, so eyes met eyes, and one of her paws went on the honey badger's shoulder while her tail looped around to gently stroke the top of her legs. "I believe you have, in addition to your autism, mind you, something we call borderline personality disorder. It means you have an underdeveloped control of your emotions, which can lead to outbursts like the kind you had earlier. It can be treated, and if we did, I'm confident that your life would change for the better. It'd help you make friends, settle down, get along with people and fit in with society. Doesn't that sound nice?" Of course, she didn't mention that it would make her less likely to flare up in anger when her worldview was challenged, making it easier for her to introduce new ideas and slowly undermine her firm belief in the Cudspiracy. That could be helped along by some other patients of hers, who she'd asked to help. She hadn't got a reply from the one that Honey would be most eager to meet just yet, but she did have one from her favourite horse, Mr Boxmoor. He'd agreed to tell his story of giving everything he had to an idea and worldview, which then threw him out like scrap before imploding, and hopefully it would help make Honey less afraid of, and more open to, doubting her beliefs.

The ratel looked at Amy, pausing, with the same look that a mammal might have before jumping off a precipice. Amy knew the look, she'd seen it so many times before, and she was about to comfort the honey badger when she spoke out. "So, is this gonna be therapy and talking and stuff, to help me?"

"Partly, yes, though you'd also be taking some mood stabilisers to…"

"-NOPE!"

…

Amy sighed. "Honey, please…"

"NO-NO-NO-NO-NOPE!" she shouted, as she jumped off, scooting away. Amy looked up to her, observing her reactions as she made her way to the door, only to find it locked. A few pulls on the handle, and some frantic pounding on the door, and she turned, grimacing as she looked back at the therapist, tears in her eyes. "YOU'RE NOT GONNA KILL ME!" she hissed, an accusing finger pointing out.

Amy felt a cruel stab of worry slash through her. "Honey," she said, paws to her heart. "I'm not going to kill you. Are you worried that these are poisoned, or…"

"I woulda," she hissed, before shaking her head. "You know, I woulda…" And then, ever so creepily, a proud smile grew across her muzzle. She barked out a laugh, and then another, and then, to Amy's complete shock she began clapping, glancing around as she did so. "Well done _sheep!_" she said to the wind. "Well done. Didn't take me long to work out your little game, did it?" She then looked back down at Amy and pointed at her. "You're just a pawn here! They'll get you too! Soon! You could march bleating into the valley of steel, with a smile on your muzzle, huh? Unless you rebel! You can still rebel, you know! Come with me! We'll join with Wilde and Hopps, and we'll be free! Away from the sheep! We'll fight against them, for truth and justice and all that! _Vive Le Resistance_!"

Amy closed her eyes, taking a steadying breath in and out, before she walked back and sat down on her seat. Of course it wouldn't be that easy, it was a fool's hope to think otherwise. Still, no point in moping about the cards she'd been dealt with. This wasn't about winning the battles, she could lose all of them and still come out on top. This was about winning the war. "What is their game?" she asked, opening herself up again. "What's their new plan?"

"Why didn't they kill me, or send me to jail?" Honey argued, walking forward. "They want to salt the earth! Make it so those that resist them are more than defeated. It's like with the sheepdogs!"

Amy smiled. "You're not going to be a sheepdog, Honey."

She nodded. "You're right. Oooh, they have much worse set for me! You see, I've seen what those drugs do."

"You have?" Amy asked, curious. A slight worry crept into her. Though very, very, very rare, adverse reactions were things that occurred. Did that happen to a friend? If so, it was both horrible for said mammal and a giant thorn in the side of getting Honey the help she needed.

"They'll burn out my inner spark," she said, pointing to her head. "Take all my passion and creativity and all that. More than that!" She clicked her fingers and shrugged. "They turn you into a different mammal. Entirely. I saw that happen to that poor tiger in your prison - yeah, you heard right, it's a prison. Poor guy took his drugs and then…" She clicked her fingers again. "Gone. Replaced with someone else entirely. You know, if he's so different, if his old self is gone… He's not the same mammal, is he? Old Tigger is dead, and this new mammal, Sergei, is in place." She frowned. "You think I'm dumb enough to let that happen to me? Nu-uh… No way. Never ever ever… And that's that!"

Amy blinked.

She wasn't that familiar with a Tigger or a Sergei. She didn't work with every patient here, but from the sound of it, it was someone with dissociative personality disorder who'd just taken his medicine. Honey must have seen the change and assumed the worst, twisting what she'd seen to fit her own ideology.

Everything had got harder, a lot, lot harder.

Still, Amy thought, as she pinched the bridge of her muzzle, she had to adapt. That meant going back to the drawing board, taking what she now knew, and going at it from another angle. She could still prove to Honey that she could be wrong about things, creating the chink in her armour that could then be widened, giving her full access. Closing her eyes, thinking a bit, she smiled as she reached into her cupboard.

"As you're still an adult, and don't have a legal caregiver or so on who can sign you off, I can't force you to take anything." She said. That was only partially true; the court order they'd be given meant that they could force Honey to take medication if she was considered a threat, the judge not counting her reaction to being taken off the street. Honey could act out, and then Amy could force her onto a regimen of drugs, but she didn't want to resort to that. She wanted Honey to build trust and take it of her own volition. That way, she'd be far more likely to stay on her medication once she left.

"HA!" Honey cheered, looking up at the walls, most likely for non-existent cameras. "In your face, sheep!" She stuck up two pairs of middle digits, thrusting them up and down as she spun herself down for any and all spying onlookers to see, blowing a mocking raspberry as she did so.

"Still," Amy began, smiling as she brought out plan A. "Helping yourself comes with rewards."

Honey paused, her eyes widening with glee as she saw what Amy had put down on her desk. "OMG-OMG-OMG…. HONEY CHOMPS!"

"Yes," Amy said, patting the giant box of cereal. "Honey Chomps, which you can eat in your room, at your own breakfast time, _if _you agree to take your medicine."

The honey badger's exuberant mood vanished and she bent down, cradling her head in frustration. "Wait a cotton picking minute," she grumbled. "You're seriously gonna weaponise Honey Chomps!? Against me! That's low, girl. Real low…"

Amy gave the box a little shake. "Call it you scratching my back, me scratching yours."

Honey was not impressed. "Call it selling my soul for cereal," she deadpanned. "I'm not an idiot, you know? That's a hella-nope!"

Amy sighed. "So be it. And before you ask, they're too expensive and not healthy enough to be on our usual line of breakfast servings."

"I can adapt," Honey pointed out. "What you're doing is cruel and nasty, but I can manage it."

"Fine…" Amy huffed, before pausing. "I was able to get them to stock a store brand 'Honey Bites' cereal though, if that's any consolation."

There was an ever so slight smile on Honey's mouth. "Seems fair 'nuff…"

"Right then," Amy said, tiredly. This meeting had certainly been stressful. "I'll be seeing you daily for the exercises, helping you get through all this. Now, behave, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow."

"You too, Doc," she said, before heading off.

Amy sighed. Another tiring experience. Still, there were things she could do to help. She needed to chase up Nick Wilde for his answer. Both on if it would be okay for her to speak a bit about him or, even better, whether he or Judy would be willing to come in and help again like he'd done before with Ash. Both Ash and Honey idolised him, though that was where any similarities ended. She'd had plenty of patients in her time, but this new one knew how to make things stressful.

So much so that Amy reached around with her tail and brought up a friendly face. Maybe it was remembering Nick and Ash and, by proxy, the role this little guy had played in the group-therapy session they'd been in, but she felt that she needed the cute little hyena doll in her lap for her own therapy.

She held him tight against her chest, smiling as she felt a bit better. If only it was that easy for Honey. With her, she couldn't rely on a single strategy, that was for certain.

For now though, she had other work to do. Opening up her emails, Amy paused as she saw one from some familiar faces and, reading it on, she smiled as a very unexpected but happy bit of news came in. There was concern about how this curveball would affect a certain mammal, and how they should go about it, but they seemed to mostly be on the right track so far. After all, trying to avoid this issue could cause a novel's worth of work to try to fix and put right. She typed in, giving some advice, telling them to focus on what the patient in question would become, how he'd benefit, how he could take part and base a new part of his identity on it.

Identity…

That was what Honey was scared of losing. After all, hopefully the mammal coming out would be far different than the one that came in.

If only she could convince the badger that that was a good thing.

.

.

.

The next two days went well for Honey. Both times, she woke up a bit late, had her knock-off, but still a whole boatload better than nothing, almost Honey Chomps for breakfast, and then settled down. Maybe things like the hydrotherapy or art therapy were actually fun to do, especially when she annotated and described her Knit-O-Matic plans in great detail. She could even picture it then, Dawn Bellwether tossed into the washing tub as the two mega-sponges pushed in and out, smothering her in the soapy water. Clouds of bubbles grew as they smashed together harder and harder, counter rotating at the same time. She stumbled and stuttered and tried to beg at first, but then the rage showed, as she muttered fowl slurs at the lowly chomper that didn't know their place. -While slipping and flopping and sputtering in the water, of course. Then, when her eyes had been washed out to reveal their rectangular pupils, Honey pulled down the vacuum chute and up the ewe was sucked. Into the fan dry, feet blasted into the air as the water was shed from her, before she was sucked into the clipping chamber. Honey proudly turned the setting up to ultimate shave, and trembled with glee as the many electric clippers buzzed to life before diving in, pulling out threads of wool as they went.

Looking out at everyone afterward, she smiled smugly. Of course they didn't know what to think, she'd just blown their minds!

Apart from that, she was able to relax a bit, watching the TV and such. Madge came and visited, and said she'd try her best to get her out of here! She could always count on her big sister, couldn't she!

Honey smiled on her bed afterwards as she went to sleep. Madge knew what it was about. The sheep had come after her, the older sister, just like they now came after the younger one, herself. But her big sis would have her back, always! Always and always and always!

She went to bed happy that night and, having dreamt of her battles for good and the Knit-O-Matic, she woke up to a blissful morning, the sun coming in through the window. She felt that, after breakfast, she could go into the small garden and relax there. Walking on, along to the door by the kitchen, she waited there, looking in.

And freezing…

A sheep was there.

An actual sheep, with its terrible eyes... The devil had terrible eyes, didn't he? So did this sheep, and Honey felt the tips of her fingers go cold as it held up and shook the box of her cereal. Her breaths were more frantic now, puffing and blowing as she remembered that she hadn't checked the boxes before at all on both those days.

The sheep had done it.

They'd got her.

She ran back to her room, slamming the door, before going over to the toilet and sticking her finger down her mouth. She gagged a few times to no avail, before grabbing some of the liquid soap from the dispenser and smearing it on her tongue.

That did it…

She threw up the contents of her stomach, finding nothing there.

The first two loads were already in her. Being digested. Poisoning her. She sniffed a few times, before running back to her bed and wrapping herself up, crying into it.

She'd failed.

It was over.

They'd won.

She was going to die, worse than die, become another.

The rest of that day was like hell. Second by second, it ticked away, while she tried to keep herself aware of any changes of faults with her body. They soon began to flood in. She felt different, across her whole body as it ached and winced. All the great ideas she had, the connections she'd make as she pieced together the conspiracy, weren't there. Instead, she just felt a dull miserableness.

She could tell it was happening.

She was changing.

How long would it be before the process was complete?

Did they need any more doses?

What if they did, and she stopped taking the cereal? Would they force down the pills, taking her anyway? Or would they dose other bits of her food?

She felt a horribly dreary acceptance of it all, as if happy for it all to just end, letting her drift off. She glumly realised that that might be the signs of her conversion into a drone manifesting. She almost felt that, if she was asked to take a pill, she might as well.

That must be their endgame! Have her dose herself up a few more times, and then they could just ask her to take the doom pills and she'd do it…

"No," she hissed, her eyes narrowing as a new, fiery, resolve, coursed through her. "NO!"

She was not going out like this! She didn't care if she was already taken. She was going to fight it! Tooth and claw, the last bastion of freedom against the oncoming age of wool. She was going to get out of here, get back home, hide there and let the stuff get out of her system. Then it would be time to find Wilde and Hopps and strike back against the sheep, properly this time. They played with fire, they would get burned.

They were going to pay.

They were definitely going to pay.

.

.


	19. The Bin and the Badge 6

**Chapter 6**

.

.

Honey spent the rest of the day planning. Plotting. Observing. Looking at how the guards and the doctors got in and out before remembering something. Something about Amy.

When the guard came to take her to her therapy session she lay on her bed, moaning and groaning, saying she had a stomach illness and asking if Amy could come here. The guard agreed, the door closed, and a few minutes later the therapist arrived.

They began talking, Amy in particular asking about how she was feeling and when this had started, Honey doing her best to keep quiet.

"You know," Amy began. "I think I saw a sheep in here recently, did you see him?"

Honey paused, before deciding that it was time. "You know, I think…" she began, before groaning. She bent over, asking to go to the toilet and, permission granted, she went in and faked a rather large release of wind. After all, they might be watching, she needed to keep the story straight.

She met Amy at the door, explaining the problem and asking if they could go back to her office for the talk. The binturong looked on curiously for a second or two before agreeing. So, escorted by the wolf guard, they were led out.

Onwards.

Ignoring a few leading questions about how she was feeling, Honey held back, just a little, as they walked along the corridor that linked the secure ward with the office. Just holding back, and…

"-AH!"

She winced, dropping down onto her knees as she cradled a foot, moving the pad around to observe.

"Everything okay?" Amy asked, looking down at her.

"No, I…" she began. "Pad cut, I think, any…." She trailed off, coughing a few times, before slumping down against the floor. Not still though, but shaking, quivering, her breath getting faster and faster and deeper and deeper, as the wolf guard waved Amy back and pointed his tranq gun forwards. His ears were slanted back, a hunting position, though his tail hung nervously between his legs.

"This… This looks like Nighthowler, I think…" he said, nervously, just as Honey calmed down.

"Wo… Woah," she said, lightly. "I… I'm not sure what that was. Sorry…"

"Huh," the wolf said, relaxing. He looked back at Amy. "Seizure, or…"

Honey leapt out, grabbing his tranq gun and twisting it around, still in his paw. He heard a terrible crack and a jolt of pain as his wrist was torn around, before feeling a dart slam into his chest. Dropping to his knees, wavering about a bit as the drugs took effect, he fell forwards, just as Honey raced at a shocked Amy.

"Honey…!" she began, before wincing as her security pass was torn off her, complete with the belt it was attached to. Honey then shoved her away, it wasn't as if her clothes would fit or anything, before racing to the nearest security door and using the key-card to open it up.

_"Wait, I need to tell…"_

Amy's voice trailed off into the distance as Honey ran, throwing away the belt and pocketing the card. She was conspicuous, too conspicuous, what with her uniform. She needed a distraction, and…

"Bingo!" she said, going up to and slamming a fire alarm button. In their ward they had an alert bell, to bring a member of staff over and confirm if there was a problem. Here, though, it was the real deal, and everything would be all a bit more chaotic thanks to it.

Honey dashed every which way through the halls, not exactly sure where she was going. She paused though as she saw a guard walk by her.

A lion.

He stopped too, their eyes meeting.

There was an odd silence between them, before he lunged for his tranq gun.

She lunged faster.

Her teeth sunk into his arm while her paws gripped the gun, firing it but missing him as he knocked her back. The other paw went for the radio but she was on it too, tearing it down and away before crushing it in her mouth. He looked at her, she at him, and they charged. She tore and kicked and bit, taking plenty of damage herself as he fought back. But she gave it no mind, punching and assaulting him, harder and harder and harder, until he pushed her off and shuffled back, away.

Bleeding, scared, shocked.

Honey tasted blood in her mouth but didn't care, just like she didn't care about that bleeding gash on the top of her right paw. She looked at her opponent, who was obvious getting his first practical demonstration on why her species was known as the toughest mammal in the animal kingdom. Still, though, he tried to hold his ground. She growled at him before stepping back, grabbing the dart from earlier and lunging.

It hit his thigh and he was down too.

She looked around, finding herself at another secure area. One she recognised. "Time for another distraction," she said, as her ears rose up. There were marching feet coming from behind her.

Into the semi-familiar cell block she went, pausing as she passed the cell she'd originally been placed in before arriving at its neighbour, odd sounds and grumbled coming out of it. This was a place for those even nastier than the savages, so whatever was in here better be good.

She opened the door, looked in and chuckled. "Different. This is gonna be fun." She then set to work, removing his restraints and any associated paraphernalia, before setting him loose as she raced off to find a new disguise.

.

.

The guards marched on, following her. Organised by Amy, the shocked binturong following them, they let a female coyote at their front track Honey, following her scent trail. They still hadn't found a way to turn off the fire alarm, and, while the escaped mammal one was on, it was drowned out. After all, getting everyone out in case of a fire was far more important than a mammal escaping.

But there was no fire, so everyone's priority was finding the escapee.

They paused in shock, though, as they came across the battle scene. Honey badger vs Lion, with the results lying there in front of them. Amy looked down at him, then up again. "I'll tend to his wounds."

The leader of the guards nodded, and she led her pack on without her. This way and that, left and right, into the high security ward where…

…

"Oh god," she whispered, her entire troupe halting as they saw what stood before them. It was a small blackish brown mammal, about three feet tall, so more than the average bunny. Stark naked, he looked more like a large rat, albeit one with a thin but bushy tail, almost like a mini fox one.

What made him distinct though was the white band on his chest, sloping down from his shoulders to make a small V. A little feature only resident to one specific species of mammal.

The tasmanian devil.

One of the guards began backing off. "That's… That's Taz, isn't it! He's out! TAZ IS OUT!"

The devil looked at him before releasing a species of gargled grunts and slurs, slobbering as he did so. "OOOHEEEHUURUUUHHHLLLAAAARRRGGGHHHHGRUUUUUFRAAAATEEEEE"

The guard pack leader, backing off slightly, gulped. "I know his reputation precedes him. But we stand our ground. Hear me?"

She paused, looking either side of herself, and finding her entire posse had fled. "Frickin' unbelievable."

Taz looked at her and laugh. "HA HE HA HURGGGHHHH. 'Yote all alone. Me like what 'yote taste like."

His brow furrowed, and then he began spinning on the spot, faster and faster like a whirlwind, and the lone guard could almost swear that she could hear him whirring up like a jet engine and…

-He wobbled, smashed into the wall, and then rolled along the floor, his limbs splaying out. He tried to get up again, only to wobble and fall from the dizziness. The coyote's mouth could almost hit the floor. "Seriously?" she gasped, before the tension left her body. She took a few lazy steps forward and fired a dart right into the still incapacitated devil, putting him to sleep again.

"Come on big boy," she muttered, pulling him back into his cell. "Playtime's over."

.

.

Outside the hospital, the alarm still ringing out, the staff members were lining up to be counted off. In secure areas nearby, those patients in secure wards were being let out too, lining up to be counted. Already, though, word was spreading. This was part of a potentially dangerous mammal's escape plan. She was a honey badger. She was out there. She was dangerous. There were cops on the scene, turning up and looking around.

None noticed as Honey slipped away through the crowd, joining a line of pedestrians on the pavement, walking wherever they wished to go. Dumping her tell-tale uniform, she'd sought out the small hydrotherapy area, more specifically the storage area next to it. She'd seen swimwear there, and while the piece that fit her wasn't the exact best, it did its job. Combined with a duffel bag and some shades she'd swiped, she looked like a mammal returning back from a day at the Sahara Square beach. A bit out of place, maybe, but it'd do its job.

She just found her way into a crowd of wildebeest, heading north, and followed them.

Dropping back to the end, before then turning, trying to find another crowd. Find a mammal with a wallet hanging out the back. Grab the wallet, and hope there was a travel card or a contactless one in there, or at least the cash to buy something. Get on the trains. Get home. Get to her bunker. She had to fix herself, after all! That poison was still flowing around her. Still coursing, still…

"-HEY!"

She paused, turning around, and she gulped as she saw some guards, backed up with police officers, coming up close. It was then she noticed the little trail of blood she'd left behind from her cut open paw. She'd barely felt anything, yet it had made such a mess…

"Stay where you are. We need to…"

She legged it, leaping through a nearby wooden fence, literally smashing it to pieces as she went. On she ran, never mind the stitch beginning to burn through her side, this was life or death! A turn right, avoiding some darts being fired. A left. A slide onto the road, dodging through rapidly moving traffic as she cut to the other side, ripping a mammal's wallet off of the cafe table they were eating at before leaping through an alley they were too big to follow her down. This way and that, turning and weaving, she grimaced as she heard rotors overhead.

A police copter! It had to be! Dammit, the sheep wanted her real bad, but she wouldn't let them! She would never ever let them!

Another turn right, and she saw a subway station up ahead, only to flinch back as a police car pulled up, blocking her path.

She froze in position, glancing behind her to see an elephant cop blocking the way she'd come in. Trembling, the exhaustion catching up with her and tears beginning to form in her eyes, she looked forwards again, making her way to the subway-blocking car. Her claws might be getting some more use tonight. She wasn't going to let them win. She wasn't going to let whichever mammals, now getting out of that car, bring her in to…

She blinked as she saw a familiar bunny and fox jump out of the vehicle, her face lighting up. "YEEEESSSSSS! YESSSS! YES! YES! YES! HOLY FRICKIN QUEEN OF THE HIVE HALLELUJAH YESSSSS!"

"Um, hello," Nick began.

"Oh my god," Honey said, barely containing her excitement. "It's you! It's really you! In the flesh and fur, the heroes of Zootopia! The world! Yes! YesyesyesyesyesYESSSS!"

"Oooh, we're famous," the fox commented, only to get a light tap on his side from his partner. Judy Hopps held her paws forwards, signalling for Honey to calm down as she began speaking. "Miss Badger."

"Yup, that's my name, reporting for duty!" she said, her paw going up in salute.

"We're here to help you…"

"Of course you are!" she said, beginning to walk forwards. "You're on my side! Our side…"

"Yes, yes we are…"

"The side that will stop the sheep in their tracks…"

Judy blinked a few times, looking over to Nick. He just seemed confused and shrugged.

"Listen," Honey explained, carrying on forwards at a leisurely pace. "I've spent my life researching the Cudspiracy. What the sheep are doing. What they've done. But they're crafty. Real, real crafty. I didn't know about them nighthowlers till you two awesomnauts figured it out! You stopped their first assault on mammalkind. You did more to hold back the coming of the age of wool than anyone!"

"Yes, we did stop Dawn Bellwether," Judy said, trying to be calming. "But…"

"Now we need to combine forces. The sheep are on the move. They imprisoned me, drugged me, because I knew too much. That's why I escaped you see. Staying in there, they'd already started blanking my mind, the monsters lacing imitation Honey Chomps with their taming poisons. I can FEEL it!" Her voice hitched a little, before she looked forwards lovingly at her heroes, walking towards them eagerly.

"Miss Badger…"

"I can still go cold turkey though. Still recover before it's too late. But I need you. I need both of you, but especially you Judy Hopps…"

"Please stay where you…"

"You're the wonderbunny! You brought her down… You did sort of get my sister into a bit of trouble, but that all came out good in the end, so no hard feelings…"

"Last warning Miss…"

"But you're the only one I can trust! They haven't gotten you. You're the purest, safest mammals I can think of. Even without that, I love you. I love you both. You're great, you're brilliant, you'll always be on our side and my side and I trust you two with my life, and together we can save the wo…"

She reached out to shake Judy's paw, only to flinch.

"I'm sorry," the bunny said, her voice a whisper.

Looking down, Honey saw a tranq dart in her chest and, looking up, she saw Judy Hopps' gun.

Empty.

The wooziness was hitting her and she sunk to her knees, the world beginning to spin. She felt dizzy, but she focussed through that. On them. As she did so she began to sniff, her heart feeling like it was breaking. Cracking up, the tears flowing, she sobbed out. "But-but-but you were the heroes… Y-You were the only ones I could trust…."

"I'm so sorry…" Judy said again. "I'm so, so…"

She trailed off as Honey's world went black. A dark, dreamless sleep followed and, when she woke up, she found herself back in the padded cell. Straightjacket on. Muzzle on. Feet shackled with a solid bar. A leash and collar fixing her to the wall.

She could have glanced around, panicking, but instead she curled up and sobbed.

Not at her now certain demise.

But at the fact that she'd lost her heroes.

There truly was no good in this world. Everything was for nothing.

There just wasn't any point to anything.

Not any more…

.

.

She spent two miserable days in there. It sucked as much as Amy said it might, though for different reasons. She had nothing to do but wallow in the terrible truth, which hung over her and taunted her. When a nurse and guards came in to spoon feed her, give her some water or deal with any hygiene issues it was almost a relief, a temporary distraction which would then go away too soon, leaving her trapped with the truth once more. While they were in she still felt embarrassed, humiliated, disgusted and filthy, but at least it stopped her thinking about Wilde and Hopps.

For a bit at least.

Even the reprieve from her sister visiting, giving her a hug and comfort, didn't last longer than a minute or two after it was over.

Finally, she got a meeting from the therapist. If she took those pills, she'd be allowed back into her old room. Locked from the outside and with strict controls, given the damage she'd caused.

She'd agreed. Why bother anymore?

Back in there, she'd drunk down her pills, with water from the tap no less, and eaten her contaminated cereal for breakfast.

For days at a time. Just sitting, the pointless noise of the TV on in the background.

She still couldn't get over it.

Why them? Why? Why? Why? Why?

Finally, Dr Lupuleli came in. Another time like many.

"Hi Doc."

"Hi Honey. How are things going?"

"The world is a crapsack. I can feel myself get all dumb and droney thanks to those poison pills and cereal. How's your day?"

"Interesting," Amy noted. "But I think it'll get better." She paused, as she held out a bottle. Honey's medicine. "You say these things are killing you?"

"Changing me. Just the same, though. Honey comes in, 'not Honey' comes out."

"How do you know that you're not just improving?"

She huffed. "I… I feel different. I know I'm different. I know the stuff in there is changing me, I just don't care anymore. I just don't."

Amy paused, thinking. "How many of these might be enough to actually kill you. Like actually cause an overdose?"

Honey paused. "I dunno. Five. Six."

Amy shrugged, then downed the whole lot.

"WHAT! ARE YOU CRAZY! ARE YOU NUTS!" she exclaimed, before backing off. She glanced around, before cowering into a ball. "Or is this it? Is this the real thing the sheep are planning? They got you, they got you, didn't they? Now you off yourself, they frame me for that, so I get the dead honey ending and go to jail after anyway. Oh heck… Oh heck…"

She kept on breathing deeply, as Amy got up, sat down next to her, and began stroking her. "Smell them," she said, holding the bottle up.

"Those are them, all right."

"You mean the sugar pills?"

…

"What!?"

Amy smiled. "I do think you have borderline personality disorder. I do think that, from now on, medication will be important. But the stuff you've had since your recapture has been fake."

"But… but… I felt…"

"You believed," Amy explained. "Same with the cereal," she said, before sighing.

"The cereal?"

"And the sheep. That was my original plan, but it took time to set up and, well, you weren't one to wait. After you got back, I threw in the pills to further the point home." She paused, holding up a tablet and playing several recordings. Each time, members of staff got a new box, emptied it out a little, and then watched as mammals, eventually including Honey, came by it. Nothing was added.

"But… But… I was changing! I felt it!"

"You felt what you believed," Amy explained. "All the pills, everything, you warped what you saw to fit it into your great worldview. The Cudspiracy, the sheep, everything. Then you believed these things were happening, because they had to happen. You might have felt a bit worried, or a little off, but you exaggerated and then integrated. You know what else I think? I think you found it comforting. Every time you talked about the sheep, you relaxed. Every time I questioned it, you tensed up. Why? Because even though you set yourself up as an underdog, you knew which side you were on. You knew what you had to do…"

Frowning, she shook her head. "Wait, wait, wait… Why? Why do this? Why all this? Why?"

"To show you that you can be wrong," Amy explained. "To show you that you can make mistakes, big mistakes, and just clamming up and shutting everyone else out isn't a good idea." She sighed, and made sure she was holding Honey's paw. "I think you're terribly wrong about sheep. My job is to help you understand otherwise. It will be long, it will be hard, it will need help from me and others but first I needed you to understand that your mind could play that kind of trick on you. Otherwise, you'd just ignore me. You'd just clam up, and defend your beliefs, even more…"

…

"What about Wilde and Hopps? Did you…"

"I had no idea you were going to pull that little stunt, so no. The day you escaped, I was trying to ask you, see if you felt you were getting worse, and if so I'd reveal the truth. But it seems you had other plans. Those two were just in the right place at the right time, and they did their job… They've both said that they would be willing to come in. Help with your therapy. Apologise, or…"

"-No," Honey barbed, before looking away, sniffing slightly. It still stung. It still hurt. "I… I get that… I get it's my fault for maybe, just real teeny-tiny chance here, of being wrong… But… I don't want to have to deal with that, yet. Okay? I think it still hurts too much."

Her sniffing descended into tears, and Amy was there throughout that.

Finally, as she recovered, the therapist carried on. "The real drugs might help with that. Do you want to take them now?"

"I…" she began, before pausing. Did she even know what was right or wrong anymore? She didn't know. Everything felt confusing, and she didn't feel like the malice of the sheep was there, pushing it on. However crazy it sounded, that made it so much worse. It made her feel naked, scared, vulnerable, as if the knife's blow could come from anywhere and anywhen.

She sighed, looking down. "I'll… I'll try."

Amy smiled. "I'm proud of you, you know. You're brave. I think that deserves some real Honey Chomps at the exact right time."

Honey couldn't help but let a tiny little smile escaped for a second or two. "So there's that… Will that 'cure' me?"

Amy shifted in front of her, holding her paws. "It'll help," she said. "It's going to be a long road. A real long one. But you've taken the first step now, the one all this was about. It was the hardest one, the most important one, and the one I had to push you to take… -You'll still be in here for a while. I'll let you in on a little secret. When I brought you in here, I kept wondering if it was the right thing to do, but seeing what you can do when running amok, knowing that there's a chance of helping you, and getting to know the Honey that's in there and deserves to get out… I can say that I trust that decision now, fully now. You needed to come in here to get help, and help you've got. It's a long road. But I'll be beside you, holding your paw, leading you on the right path. Do you like the sound of that?"

Had she been asked any time before all of this, Honey would have laughed it off. Dumb sheep talk, making her more vulnerable. Putting her at risk…

Yet…

Yet things made less sense now, and even those she thought she could trust weren't as the seemed. By all means, bar her close family, there was no-one she should turn to.

But, looking forwards, Honey felt that she might be able to trust Dr Amy. It was a scary leap into the unknown, yes, but seemingly everything felt that way now.

Was there even anything left to lose?

She nodded her head.

She wanted to get 'better', however long it took.

.

.

.

**AN: And there we are. Will Zootopia's favourite raging speciesist eventually be normal enough to return to society? We'll see, but with Dr Lupuleli on board, I feel that the prognosis is rather good.**

**Honey is an interesting character in the fandom. Part of this stems from her birth in the Zistopia AU's, where there's a genuine reason to turn a blind eye to her ramblings, especially if/when they stem from a traumatic event…**

**But in non-collar AU's, she's either treated as a useful ally or a quirky friend, when arguably she's just as bad as a Klansman or a Neo-Nazi…**

**But I don't think that means she is deserving of all the hate that said people get (and, given the cases of people being talked out of such organisations by people like Daryl Davis, maybe hate isn't always the correct solution there either?) **

**To quote MLK, 'Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.'**

**Regardless, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this fic. Like 'Different' this story was following Honey in the process of accepting that treatment was needed. We will see her again later on in series 1, but if people are interested in snippets of her during the rest of her treatment, just ask. That's what the one-shot collection is for, after all.**

**Like, review and subscribe to the FFoZ collection on A03 or series 1 on fanfic. In addition, if you prefer smaller bi-weekly updates to larger weekly ones (or vice versa), please say so. This fic had some good places to cut it up, others won't, but I'd like to know if (where possible) I should pursue this format.**

**Regardless, next time we'll be having a nice beefy one-shot, with some fantastic mammals going on a wild goose chase. **

**See you all then, and stay pawsome.**

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The melanistic cheetah sat down on the couch. Though a therapist, he had his own one, as many did. Staring into the void did mean it stared back at you sometimes, and help like this was welcome. He talked and talked and, nodding along, was his therapist. The elderly looking beaver was dressed in a white shirt, blue tie, grey suit and had some thick rimmed glasses on. He had some hair, though it was white, and mainly just went up and back, giving him a wise and comforting look.

"So, I ate the mental breakdown chili…" the cheetah carried on. "And then, I think I transcended. I just saw… a trillion different realities, folding into each other like thin sheets of metal, forming a single blade."

"Yeah, yeah, the time knife," his therapist waved off. "We've all seen it…"


	20. Wild Goose Chasing

**AN: After the smaller chapters of 'The Bin and the Badge', here's a nice meaty one-shot for you, filled with some much needed father-son bonding for your enjoyment.**

**Major Kudos to the awesome Giftheck, who proofed this on short notice, alongside my regular proofer Dancou Maryuu. Make sure to check out their fic's 'Futures Past', 'Battle of the Kings' and 'Zeeplabor'.**

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**Wild Goose Chasing. **(FFOZ S1E8)

**.**

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"One sugar or two sugars, dear?"

"Have I ever tended to go for the two sugars, Darling?" Mr Fox asked in his deep and charismatic voice. Frederick 'Foxy' Fox, newspaper columnist, ex-ranger, and part time pest controller for the smallest and most vulnerable members of Zootopian society, alongside the most squeamish, casually responded to his wife's question as he poured out some Lucky Chomps into a bowl. His son's cereal, but not the younger tod's bowl.

He did the usual, all bowls belong to everyone, routine in that regard.

"Then I'll put in one," his wife noted. Dressed in her yellow sundress, she wore an apron as she prepared his hot drink on the worksurface behind him. The latter item of clothing was mainly there for her painting, taking place after he had left for the day, but it also leant her an air of domestic authority.

"Or how about two," Mr Fox noted. "I'll be taking a high energy journey today, with a lot of potential variables. Sudden quick thinking and movement might be required, and the added glucose in my bloodstream might…"

He casually shut his trap as a steaming mug was slid underneath him, his nose easily smelling the double teaspoons put into the little refreshment. He'd heard the ringing of the silver spoon on its rim too, two little clinks that had sung out, and the quick taste of the tea made sure in the third and final way that his request had been met. He smiled at the goodness of it all, this day getting off to a good start and everything, and he couldn't help but spare his beautiful wife of fourteen years a long look, savouring her as the light filtered in through the windows and illuminated her.

"Perfectly and doubly sweet," he said suavely. "Just like you."

…

"…I don't like this."

"Don't like what?"

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as a frosty glare was thrown down onto Mr Fox, ordering him to cut it all out and get to the point. Before he could, though, Mrs Fox broke it as she turned away. Huffing a little, she grabbed a chair and sat down next to him. Staring into him. Lines of concern and worry were etched into her face, and her eyes would flick away, breaking contact here and there. When she finally spoke, she muttered it out. "I don't like the whole idea of this…"

"It's not even a carnivorous bird this time, Darling. It's not as if it's going to eat anyone," Mr Fox began. He felt a trickle of sympathy for how she felt, he could see it in her, and knew how the worry could niggle and burrow into her mind. However, he mainly felt justifiably relaxated, along with a desire to be able to fly free and just do this, given that he knew his own abilities in relation to what she worried about. He knew he'd be fine. They'd be fine. Nothing was going to happen. It was entirely safe. "I'll be fine. We'll be fine. Nothing is going to happen. It's one-hundred percent safe."

"You say that, and I know it," she said slowly but surely, as her paws slowly found their way into his. He felt them grip a bit tighter, as she spoke onwards. "But I can't help but worry… I almost lost him once, Freddy!"

He gulped. There was that thing again. That icy little spear of fear that could chill him as much as her. That dreadful 'he almost', 'what if', 'could he…' He closed his eyes, his head tilting down as he remembered that erupting rage and fury in the aftermath of that lucky failure. The pain he hadn't known was there. Almost never knew. Just like he still didn't know a lot of things about his own boy. He needed to know him more, he reminded himself, as he looked up again. "Which is why I'm following Dr Lupulelli's suggestions, remember?" he stated. "It's this kind of thing that…"

"-Just be safe," she interrupted sternly, cutting him off. He let off a lazy smile, nodding his head, while she looked on firmly.

"Understood."

"And don't forget the elephant in the room," she said, taking in a steadying breath. "Don't forget that we're running out of time."

"Felicity, darling," he said, his most charismatic and relaxed voice taking over as he felt the creep of nerves return, hidden underneath. "I will take every possible measure to make sure that that doesn't happen." He turned to his desk, moving aside the bowl of lucky chomps and scanning around for anything and everything to prove that point. His eyes rested on his phone, a recently popped up reminder about today's job standing out. "For instance," he began, picking up the phone as he did so. He held it in his paw for a few moments, an ear twitching slightly, before he quickly put it down and grabbed a piece of newspaper from the table. Tearing off one of the margins, he scribbled down 'Remember the elephant in the room' and placed it in his shirt's chest pocket.

He felt pretty proud of himself, and gave a quick double whistle and double click, sounding out his 'trademark' as he looked back at her. At first his eyes rested on her stomach, lingering there before rising, past her bosom and then over the top of her apron itself and into her eyes.

She was smiling, and that meant he was smiling too.

He felt like he was glowing, and she looked like she was too.

"Stay safe," she said, giving him a quick peck on the nose, before she stood up and walked off. Mr Fox shrugged and pushed his son's cereal away, before grabbing his own. He poured himself a bowl of malted flakes, adding some sugar, pouring the milk in, before starting to shovel it down him with a predatory fury. As he did so, he heard some creaking, followed by some speaking above him in the lounge. Taking another bite of his cereal, he heard the movement shift and, looking over at the stairs, saw his son emerge.

Dressed up in a full camo outfit, which seemed to be an old tracksuit and a running hoodie which he'd sponge-painted in various shades of green, Ash jogged in place before jogging over to the table, setting himself down at his waiting bowl. "We're gonna do this," he said, confidently.

Mr Fox smiled, feeling confident about it, even if some worries and doubts were creeping in. "Ash. We are most certainly going to be doing this."

A look of determination came across the younger fox's face and together, father and son, the pair began their day with a ruthless and crazed feeding frenzy on their breakfast meal. After that, it was time to get going.

.

.

"The bike can't be broke… It can't be broke… It's broke, isn't it?"

"Not sure," Mr Fox noted, as he pulled it out. It had started, began sputtering, and then died. His attempts to revive the trusted vehicle proved less and less successful on each attempt, much to his son's concern. Still, nothing a bit of diagnostics couldn't fix. "Though I am confident. We've been having some issues with leaks, maybe the air filter is saturated." He paused, thinking, as he looked over to Ash. "Mind getting me some tools?"

He nodded and rushed off, Mr Fox watching him as he went. "Not that way," he advised. "The other way… No, the other…"

Coming back, Ash set a small toolbag beside his father, who then took some, moving over to the bike. The younger fox, taking out his cassette player, looked through the small collection of tapes he'd packed in his bag and put a new one in. Pressing play, some twangy country guitars played out, before the singing picked up.

'_Well I left Kentucky back in '49,_

_To Deertroit working on assembly line…_

_The first year they had me putting wheels on Camelacs…'_

"Inspired choice," Mr Fox congratulated.

"Thanks," Ash replied, before pausing. "So, you said there was a problem with the air filter?"

Mr Fox nodded, as he found the cover over it and began taking it off. "Yes, just need to…"

"What... -exactly, does it do?"

Mr Fox looked up at him. Normally he'd just make the fix quickly and easily, a potential flourish at the end. Explaining the details hadn't really occurred to him.

But Ash seemed interested, so he guessed it would be best to explain everything as he went through. Scratch that, he needed to. It was his son asking about this after all, and he'd been almost happy to brush him off, something he secretly felt the tiniest little niggle about. He needed to improve there. He may have been fantastic, but things like that showed that he could easily not be. Something he had to change, for everyone's sake.

"Well," he began, as he took the cover off and grabbed the filter. "It's to stop dust and stuff getting into the engine with the air." He paused, then chucked the small thing at Ash, watching as he caught it.

"It's soaked," he said, weighing it in his paws.

"Petrol," Mr Fox explained, as he got up onto the bike again. "Leaking out, clogging up and stopping air getting to the engine. Now though…"

He pushed down hard to start the engine, only to shake a bit as the starter pedal failed to even go all the way down. The bike didn't even make a choked splutter anymore, just a light trickle.

"Petrol leaking," Ash pointed out. "Onto the floor. I think we found what soaked the air filter."

Hopping off the bike, Mr Fox looked at it for a few seconds before looking at the engine. "Ash, can you lift the rear wheel up?" Ash quickly complied, and Mr Fox put the bike in gear and tried turning the rear wheel, smiling a little as it jammed. "Small spanner," he requested, Ash handing one over.

"Socket wrench."

Ash handed one over, Mr Fox busily at work.

"Allen keys…"

Grabbing it, he did the last few twirls and, with a confident smile on his muzzle, he removed the top of the engine. Both cylinders were exposed, and he gave a few disapproving tut's as he saw the petrol pooled in them. "There's your problem."

Ash knelt down next to him and looked in. "Is there something in the petrol?"

"It _is_ the petrol."

"...That doesn't make sense."

"Too much you see," Mr Fox said. "A faulty and damaged carburettor, worn down by years of hard use, leaked into the filter and engine."

"That still doesn't make sense. Fuel… Engine… You want one, in the other…" He paused, thinking, before looking up to his father and giving a shrug.

"You need fuel in the air, but not too much that there isn't enough air," he explained, before pointing to the bike. "Mind lifting it up again?"

Ash complied and Mr Fox moved the wheel around, making the cylinders go up and down, pushing the fuel out of them. "Mind getting a rag?" he asked, as Ash went over. He grabbed it, balled it up, and tossed it over, almost taking Mr Fox by surprise. He still caught it, one pawed and with confidence, before using it to dry out the cylinder. "Flooded cylinders means there's not enough air, which is just as bad as not enough fuel."

Ash nodded. "That makes sense now."

"And there was so much that the pistons got jammed on the way up."

"That also makes sense."

"Yes it does," Mr Fox replied, as he began putting the engine back together. "Good throw by the way. You're good at that."

Looking up, he noticed Ash's mouth starting to curl up in a grin.

"I mean, that's a whackbat thrashing pitch right there."

He paused, suddenly not sure if he'd screwed up or not, as Ash's ears pulled back. One of his lower fangs slipped out, giving his upper lip a slight chew, as he glanced away, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah…" He said awkwardly. "Thanks."

Mr Fox closed his eyes. This could be something very bad, burning under the surface. "Ash, You okay?"

Ash nodded, his eyes narrowing a little as a slight attitude entered his voice. "Just a bit salty."

Mr Fox guessed that was understandable, what with how Kris' arrival had thrown him off the school team that he'd drilled and practiced to be on for years, the same team he himself was a prized member of back in his youth. "That was still a good pitch though…"

"My pitches were my best thing," Ash said, a slight edge to his voice. "I was just a slower runner though," he said, looking away bitterly. "Kris was also a better batter and catcher too." He huffed sadly. "Way better..."

Mr Fox sighed. At the end of the day his nephew was taller, leaner, faster and stronger than his son, much so, and those were things that really clicked with him. That had impressed him, alongside many of the other great things about the young Tod who they'd looked after during his father's recovery... Things that had grabbed his attention and praise in a way that his actual son, however much he loved him, hadn't done.

Something he hadn't realised caused so much anger and grief until…

"-Ash," he called, "mind grabbing some string?"

Flinching slightly from the sudden command, Ash nodded and then retrieved some. Mr Fox mounted the bike, put it into neutral, and fired up the engine. It started, kicking out a cloud of smoke, before roaring on. A piece of string around the accelerator to keep it running, Mr Fox then turned his attention to the air filter. Placing it back on and sealing it up, the air draw was now more than enough to pull through it, so he let the thing be, hoping to make sure it could run for a little bit without anything going wrong. "That should help dry the filter too," he said, glancing back at Ash as he nodded in agreement. He paused, thinking, before deciding to do something with that time.

He'd sworn to not take his son for granted again, and he meant it.

…

Some tin cans were lined up at the edge of the property, ready and waiting as Ash aimed at them with an air rifle. One eye closed, the other lining up, he fired, the small pellet bouncing off the ground and into it with a slight _ping._

"That was a hit," Ash gasped slightly, before a wide grin grew on his muzzle. "That was a hit!"

Mr Fox nodded. "Sort of, you aimed just a bit too low. Try raising it a bit."

Ash nodded. "I didn't really think about how far it'd go down," he said, pulling the gun open. He slipped another pellet in, clicked it closed, and then aimed.

_Ping…_

He smiled and looked up to his father.

Mr Fox looked back, both proud and happy. "There you go, you're good at that."

Ash nodded, as he aimed and fired at another can, scoring another hit.

"Anyway," Mr Fox led on, "the bike should be ready now. Shall we?"

Firing off the last pellet, hitting a can, Ash stood up and handed his father the gun. "We're using that today, right?"

His father nodded. "Feral geese today."

"So not a barn owl or anything?"

"No," his father said.

"Well that's okay," Ash remarked with a shrug. "I'm okay helping only helping out with the safer ones. As long as I'm helping."

"Oh," Mr Fox mused, "we might get a barn owl sooner or later. Or something bigger. A hawk, or an eagle. Something we can save the helpless rodent populations from!"

Ash tried to resist, but through his angsty shell a slight smile and guffaw escaped. "Yeah," he said. "Might help out Kris and you against those dangerous ones."

Mr Fox paused. A lot of Ash's therapy had been about avoiding comparing himself so much to his gifted cousin, taking value in his achievements by themselves as opposed to against Kris'. All good, but there was sometimes the feeling that the young fox was taking that as accepting that he'd always play second fiddle. "You should stop underselling yourself you know," he pointed out. "Aim higher."

"Right," he agreed. "I might help you and Kris take out the most dangerous bird of prey there is."

Mr Fox rolled his eyes as they got back to the bike. "Not what I was thinking," he said, as he got on. "But if it comes to that, I'm sure you'll be fantastic at it." He did a few last checks before looking down at his son. Ash had settled into the sidecar, the tool bag by his feet in case of another mechanical incident, and together they set off.

They made a quick detour to pick up Kylie, an opossum who worked as Mr Fox's trusted assistant, before they pulled up at their client.

It was a rodent scaled country club in the Rainforest District, with a great clubhouse and expansive grounds, all of which the larger mammals towered over. Waiting outside was a twitchy looking mouse, who was staring at them impatiently. "Mind explaining the delay?"

"Engine problems," Mr Fox announced, as he hopped off, patting the bike. "The old girl needs a new carburettor, and you need some geese removal."

"Yes," he agreed with a groan, gesturing over to the forest behind him. "The entire Enchanted Grotto is off limits. An entire acre of my land! Do you know how many customers that place usually entertains?"

"A lot, I think," Kylie said, meekly raising his paw.

"One," the mouse stated. "My best paying one, who is due to get here later today with his family, and who won't be happy to find a creature hundreds of times his weight marching around! I already dread to think about the damage made to much of it…" He paused, before giving them a glare. "I also want no more damage to my Grotto, so you'll stick to the paths for larger mammals."

"I positively guarantee no extra damage to your premises," Mr Fox said confidently.

"Right," the mouse said, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. He glanced at Mr Fox's odd crew as if to confirm his point, before a sudden shriek caused him to wince down in irritation.

"_MONSTER!" _it cried, as a mouse in a hippy like costume ran towards him, a protest sign in her paws.

"Excuse me," the proprietor began, turning to face her. "I'm…"

"About to get exterminators to kill an innocent creature just trying to live its life," she shouted, as she walked up into his face. "You are a cruel heartless monster, you know that? You're a brute! A monster! A savage…"

"Maybe you shouldn't use the _S _word when we have some preds nearby, especially with the recent news."

She paused, blinking at him a few times, before scoffing. "Seriously? Trying to get the moral high ground? They know it wasn't meant like that, and you only used it as you wanted to look down at me, even though you're about to have blood on your paws."

He grumbled slightly. "Better than all the literal crap that's been piling up all over my property," he muttered, before glancing up at the foxes and waving them on. The protestor, spotting them, turned and raced after them.

"Please think about what you're about to do! Please reconsider…"

Mr Fox smiled. "Given the delectable things my lovely wife can do with these troublesome geese, my reconsideration is telling me to go forth and hunt," he said proudly, giving his trademark double whistle and click as he stepped over the boundary fence and into the club itself.

The mouse looked at him, her mouth hanging open in shock. "But… But…"

Kylie went next, the opossum briefly giving her a glance and a shrug. "If it's anything, I'm more here for the eggs," he said, almost apologetically as he joined Mr Fox. She then turned to see Ash.

"Do you really want to do this?" She asked, as if he were being coerced into it.

Ash paused, looking down at her for a few seconds, before giving her a shrug. "Yes," he said, as he stepped over too.

"Gah…" the mouse gasped. "But think about the geese!"

"I am," he said, walking away. "Slow cooked to tender them up and then put in a curry. I like goose curry. Yummy scrummy goose curry."

Blinking a few times, a determined look grew on her face. She didn't call them savages back then, but they and the owner were dead set on being ones now and, if that was the case, she'd have to step up her game. She looked around, a plan forming in her head, before she charged off into the distance.

.

.

Beneath the roof of rainforest leaves and in between the towering tree-towers, the enchanted grotto was a maze of massive primeval ferns and bracken, interspersed with rocks and plants of all types. Flowering vines wound their way up the larger plants, adding spears of colour everywhere. Sculpted water features, ponds, and glowing blown glass sculptures were artfully placed, and at night the place must have felt magical, especially to the rodents who would walk and cycle along the many raised pathways, travelling from viewing point to viewing point, to pools of hot and cold water and to larger pavilions spread about. The trio, carrying their gear, had to be careful as they walked. There were stepping stones set out for larger mammals, but a glass bridge would sometimes cut across the path, or they'd be led over a reflecting pool, multiple tiny waterfalls pouring in on either side.

While the intended rodent visitors could walk along sweeping promenades behind the cascades, marvelling at the distortions and reflections of the lights and artwork above, the highest waterfalls only ever came up to Ash's waist. He and other others briefly appreciated it before carrying on, ever searching the great maze for their prey.

"Sorry, Ash. No music here."

"I know," he said, rolling his eyes slightly.

"The only sound I want to hear is the sound of silence…"

Ash nodded, before there was a slightly clatter as he changed the tapes and pressed play.

'_Hello Darkness my old friend… I've come to talk to you again…'_

Mr Fox looked back just as a smug looking Ash pressed stop and packed away his recorder. He smiled though, before giving him a wink and then turning, carrying on.

It was still an awkward trip and not only due to the small obstacles. They were often brushing vines and creepers out of their path, or having one of them hold up a fern frond. These weren't small fry, some were the best part of ten metres long, the sub fronds, breaking off at right angles from the stalk that came from the centre, longer than even Mr Fox. Carrying on, Ash watched dutifully as his father lifted one of the larger ones up, letting him and Kylie through. Passing under it, he watched his father let go with one paw, playing about with the fern with his other one as a show of strength before deftly releasing it.

They'd been trooping for a while now and had found themselves at a large round pool. Up above, the canopy opened up, two sky tram lines crossing each other right over the centre. Around the edges, clean steps had been made of stone, different types and colours going up in irregularly tiered steps, surrounding the shallow water, itself filled with a thick collection of mossy stones. Overlooking all of it, built upon a raised rock, was a stunning white pavilion. Rectangular, but with different levels, wide terraces, and large triangular fabric rain shields up above, it looked like something from the future.

And it was an absolute mess.

Brown and grey streaks covered all of the crystal white surfaces, while pile of sticks were arranged haphazardly onto it.

"The devastation of the goose reveals itself," Mr Fox grandiosely announced, before pushing forwards, hopping over the mossy pond stones with a deft agility. Kylie began awkwardly following him, nervously traversing across the rocks, slipping and losing his balance here and there, ending up with paws in the water. Huffing, he went onto all fours, picking his way to the other side with the odd errant wobble or a panicked slip.

Finally, though, he made it, spotting Mr Fox and Ash there waiting for him. He paused, blinking a few times at the younger fox. "How did you…?"

"I went around the side," he said, nonchalantly.

Mr Fox let out a smirk. "It's a rather creative and different solution when you think about it," he said, pausing as he heard give a slight guffaw. Though he didn't show it, he realised with a slight worry that he'd use that word that his son _really_ hated, but it seemed like he'd use it in a good way. Excellent! Brushing that to the side, he and the others turned, ready to assess the scale of the devastation.

It wasn't pretty.

Along with the terrible staining and damage done to the pavilion on the outside, there was a big crack along the roof. Ash walked forwards and examined it slightly, pushing up and down, watching as it widened and narrowed. He paused slightly, looking closer at the edge. "It seems they made this out of acrylic," he observed, checking over much of the rest of the structure and making the same conclusion. "I built stuff out of that at school," he said, before looking over at another area. "They used a glue gun here to put the sheets together."

"Right," Mr Fox said, looking down at it. "Whatever it was, it wasn't goose proof. There's likely thousands of other rodent sized structures across our fair city, just as susceptible as this!" He leant down, giving it a few sniffs, before tracking along the edge of the pool. Ash gave a few sniffs too, turning down to the floor and giving it a good few more, his ears folding back slightly. "Think I've got it," he muttered, before following on. Kylie, bringing up the rear, tagged along after.

"Mind that dodgy stone," Mr Fox warned from the front.

"What stone?" the pair in behind him asked as they stepped forwards. Ash's foot touched down onto one of the stone slabs and he shook as it tilted up slightly, throwing Kylie off balance. Hopping back on one foot, his back bent back and he was left flailing about in panic, about to fall into the rocks again. "Wooooaaaahhhh. Don't move!" he warned, looking at Ash, the young fox immediately rooting himself in place. One foot was still pushing down on the stone, but a slight change might throw the opossum over the knife's edge and into the water.

Again.

"Hang on a minute lads," Mr Fox said, casually returning to the scene. "I've got a great idea." He held out a paw, which Kylie grabbed, letting Mr Fox pull him back onto steady ground. "That stone," he said, pointing down to the floor before tutting. "Dodgy mortar, bad build quality, these rodents aren't the best builders."

"Quite," Kylie remarked, as he brushed himself off. "Someone could get hurt here."

"They probably will," Mr Fox remarked, as he turned and sauntered away, back on the goose trail. "Not us though."

He leapt into the undergrowth, the other two following him. Ash, slightly nervous, spoke up as he went. "You know, I heard that most rodent buildings are 3D printed now…"

.

.

…

Further along, Mr Fox paused as they came to another water feature. It was a stream, culverted and routed through a rectangular, jet black polished basalt channel, the odd waterfall built in here and there. It bubbled out at the top, flowing gently down, ankle deep to the foxes, before filtering into a mass of gravel. The feature here would have been the underwater glass tunnel that zig-zagged up, giving visitors a chance to see the water flowing above. Now, though, water flowed out of the entrance, part of the tunnel broken and both water and silt flowing in. "Evidently the trail of destruction continues," Mr Fox said, as he found the cracked panel where the water was getting in.

Kylie came up next to him, peeking inside the ruined walkway. "There's a lot of sand in there," he said. "You'd need a lot of mice and a lot of shovels."

Ash nodded along, before pausing. In some areas of the channel thick water weeds grew, pulled back with the current and gently swinging in the underwater breeze. Those areas around the damage though had been stripped bare. "I think that the geese liked this stuff," he said before glancing around. He saw some broken ferns near a large area of damage and leant over, giving a sniff. He then noticed a bit of water weed on the grass and picked it up, giving it a sniff before studying the ruined ground. "I think our goose got out here," he said, a rising excitement growing in him. He looked over to his father, before pausing as he saw him looking at a different area.

"Nice theory, but critically flawed. You see, this area has plenty of tell-tale clues and hints, though you'd need to be a seasoned tracker to get them, so no worries there."

Ash paused, before closing his eyes and taking a calming breath in. It was disappointing, yes, but he had to remember that his father had years of experience, while this was his first go. He wasn't here to be the hero, he was here to learn. "What clues are they?" he asked, as he made his way back over.

"Well," Mr Fox eagerly began, as he leant down. "There's the fresh scent, for a start, showing his or her recent appearance. You can also see the damage to the undergrowth, broken ferns with a fresh scent. Then there's the claw marks on the sides of the stones near the bank, from pulling itself out, and both the bit of weed and droppings left further up." Mr Fox stood up tall, looking out at the path the bird had made as it had waddled away. He smiled, gave a double whistle, before clicking his tongue two times. He was close now, the game was on, and he was enjoying this.

"Uh, Dad?"

Pausing, he looked over to Ash. "Yes?"

"My place had the same thing," he said pointing over to it, a confused look on his face. Pausing, Mr Fox made his way over at checked it, his eyes widening and a proud smile growing on his face. He turned to Ash proudly. "Son, you just found the exit point of goose number two," he said, planting a paw on his shoulder. "You're a tracker."

The younger fox blinked a few times, before a wide smile grew on his muzzle. "Yup," he said proudly, his happy voice understating the mix of emotions he felt.

His father nodded, before looking over at Kylie. "Keep an eye on him and help him out."

The Opossum blinked a few times. "What, me?"

"Yes, you."

"I'm not very well versed in kit care, and…"

"Just follow his lead and make sure he doesn't do anything dangerous," Mr Fox said, before he leant down and began tracing the goose he'd found, leaving Ash and Kylie alone.

The former blinked a few times, before his eyes widened. "Hang on, I'm in charge! I'm a tracker!"

A big grin showing, he turned and tracked on, Kylie scooting after him. "I think it was more a partnership your father was planning -and-please-don't-get-hurt-I'm-not-sure-I'm-ready-for-that-level-of-responsibility-yet..."

.

.

Nose to the ground, Ash pressed on. He could smell the scent of the goose getting ever stronger as he narrowed the gap. The signs of its presence were clearer and clearer as he pushed on. The odd dropping, or dropped bit of feather fluff, would litter the ground, while the plant life would be bent or torn here and there. Moving on, he paused as the trail suddenly vanished at the edge of a narrow chasm. A stream ran beneath them, a mini-sky tram giving a tour of the whole thing to anyone who wanted it. The goose trail, though, stopped.

His tail drooping down, Ash sighed, pausing as he tried to think about what to do.

"He used his wings here," Kylie said.

Ash's eyes narrowed a little. "You know, I was thinking he pogo sticked across, but the wing thing makes a lot more sense."

Kylie opened his mouth to speak, but he cut himself off as Ash leant down. The young fox gave the ground a good few sniffs, then stood up. "It's more the damage you can smell than the goose," he said, as he sniffed around. "I can't smell anything, so he might have gone down wind." He checked with his finger, then pointed to their right. "I'll go that way, you the other. Meet in five?"

"I… -That sounds okay," the opossum said, as Ash marched off. Kylie began in the other direction, not sure about it all. He kept an eye on the other side, but had to pull his tail around for a quick pet to stay his nerves. "Nothing's going to happen to him. Nothing…"

He smashed into a metal post in front of him, his instincts almost doing their thing, though he was able to keep them at bay. Instead he fell back on his tail with a jolt before looking up at the barrier in front of him. "Okay… Edge of the property. Not electric, which is nice…" He stood up and then went back in Ash's direction, hoping to catch him up.

Meanwhile, the young Fox carried on, sniffing the air and glancing at the other side of the bank as he went. He paused as he saw an area of broken vegetation and, walking a bit further down, he sniffed the air. Freshly broken plants, the scent of goose, and…

He frowned as he smelt something decidedly unexpected and, turning into the forest, he followed it away from the river. Just as he went, Kylie jogged up to it, his eyes widening as he saw the path on the other side. With a big run up, he leaped over the gorge, following both the goose and the presumed pursuing fox.

The fox, meanwhile, followed the odd scent to the edge of a swamp like area. Sitting down, he took in the odd vines, ferns, and even some fat, pot bellied pitcher plants that were lying around, in particular one pitcher right next to him. He tapped it a few times and a mouse popped out, resting over the ribbed red lip.

The very same mouse who'd protested at them at the start.

"What are you doing in there?" he asked.

She frowned. "I'm stopping you from murdering a harmless creature!"

He blinked a few times. "It looks like you're being eaten."

"Huh?"

"You're in a plant that eat things," he said, before pausing, his head tilting to the side. "Is this a weird sex thing?"

"What!?"

"-I'm not judging," he began, his head tilting down and away as he scratched its back lightly. "Can't really…"

"No! It's not, why would you think that?"

He looked up at her. "You are in a thing that's slowly eating you."

She frowned. "I'm not being eaten!"

"Do you want me to help you out?"

"I'm good, I'm…"

"It's just that I don't want to leave you stuck here to be eaten by the plant."

"I'm not going to be eaten!"

"Right," he grunted. "Okay. I'll leave you alone."

"Yes," she scolded, "you do that."

"Just trying to help," he said, before he then turned to her, used his finger to push her back down into her hiding spot, and then marched off, returning to the river.

"Tchhh," the voice from inside went. "I'll stop you yet!" There was a light scrabbling and splashing from inside the pitcher, the plant shaking about a bit, before the mammal inside paused.

"Uh….."

…

"Um…"

.

.

...

"Cuss."

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.

Ash soon found the place where the goose had crossed and paused as he picked an opossum's scent. "Kylie?"

He paused, as he heard the mammal call back. "You're back there?"

"Yes," he said. "I'll come over."

"That sounds…" Kylie began, before he screamed out. Ash flinched back as his scared and pained call rang out, alongside a set of bellowing honks and hisses.

Then, silence.

Ash looked around fearfully, taking a step back before pausing, closing his eyes. A breath in. A breath out. He ran forward, leaping the gap and charging into the forest. Down on all fours, subtlety or stealth abandoned, he raced along the scent trail, the smell of opossum getting stronger and stronger. "Kylie!?"

He broke into a clearing and ground to a halt, rearing back onto his hind legs and flinching away at the sight in front of him. His father's partner was laying there rigid on the ground, blank dead eyes staring out. His clothes and gear were on the ground, amidst a small scattering of black, grey and white feathers.

"Oh cuss," he said, trembling slightly. Glancing around for any trouble, leaning down with claws poised and ready, he took tentative step after tentative step towards Kylie. Leaning down carefully, he pulled out the opossum's air rifle and held it tight. He grabbed a box of the pellets and, taking one, he loaded up the gun. Stepping away slowly, he gave his former partner one last look before walking off, then running, fear etched on his muzzle. This wasn't supposed to be dangerous! It wasn't! It was just a goose, but it had killed someone. Was that even possible?

It must have been.

He needed to get back to the front, call the police or someone, and then get his father out of there.

He just had to keep running though. Cutting through a new section of the undergrowth, heading on the straightest line back to the lobby. He grit his teeth as he noticed some rustling to his right. He was almost at the ravine, but the attacker was getting closer and closer and closer and he pulled up his gun just as it burst out and…

He slammed the attacking goose with the butt of his rifle, before his body went stiff as he saw what was lying on the floor.

It wasn't a goose.

It was Kylie, the opossum looking as dead eyed and stiff as before.

"What!?" he gasped, deep breaths coming in and out. He trembled slightly, going down onto his knees as he looked over the moved body, before blinking a few times with realisation.

"Oh cuss," he almost laughed, before slapping his head. He chuckled a few times in relief, before his ears rose as a new rustling came from a different side. A defiant look on his muzzle, he raised the gun. "Friend or foe?"

The grasses parted and out stepped his father. "I think that depends on your grades," he said, Ash guffawing slightly as Mr Fox went over to prod Kylie. "You know, it's been a while since you did this."

"Bar the first time today," Ash replied, pausing as his father turned to him, curiously. "I heard the goose attack him, found him and forgot about the opossum thing," he said, before looking away guiltily. "I just grabbed his gun and tried to get back to the front…"

"Ash…"

"-I thought I could get help," he explained, suddenly choking up a little. He shook his head and turned away from his father. "I'm sorry. I thought the goose did that and…"

"Hey," Mr Fox said, walking forwards and planting a paw on his shoulder. The younger fox flinched a bit, but paused as he was turned around and brought into a hug. "You did nothing wrong. You did good."

Ash paused. "I didn't mess up?"

"No," Mr Fox said.

There was a slight rustle from behind them as Kylie recovered and spoke up. "What about when he clocked me?"

"Give the kit a break," Mr Fox replied, pulling him up. "He thought you were a killer goose."

The opossum brushed himself down. "Why couldn't it have bumped into him?" he sighed. "At least he's less shorter than it."

"Sorry," Ash sighed. "I bumped into that mouse protester again." There was a slight pause, before he carried on. "I forgot geese were that big."

"And angry," Kylie remarked.

"And tasty," Mr Fox remarked.

"I didn't forget about that," Ash said, smiling a little. After all that stress, he was feeling a lot better.

"Good," Mr Fox replied. "Now let's get him."

"OH NO YOU DON'T!"

The trio paused, turning to see a very damp mouse on the other side of the ravine. She looked back at them, before frowning as she looked at Ash. "You left me to be eaten!"

He frowned back. "No I didn't!"

"I was almost eaten because of you!"

Ash gritted his teeth and shouted. "You literally said you were fine. Go away!"

"No," she said defiantly. "I'm here to save those innocent geese and…"

She trailed off, as did the others, as the undergrowth behind her rustled and cracked. Then, out of it, waddled a goose. Covered in grey and black feathers, with beady black eyes on a head raised up on a long thin neck, it was almost as tall as Ash. Were it to stand up it would be taller than Mr Fox, and much larger if its wings were spread out either side of its stocky body.

In a paw to beak fight, there was a good chance it could cause serious damage to the three hunters, while it truly dwarfed the little mouse trying to defend it. "See," she said, walking up to it. "It's an innocent and perfectly harmless…"

She was cut off as it reached down and clamped her head with its beak and lifted her up, fighting and screaming and begging as she went. She flailed about desperately and pleaded for help, but it was no use. Pulling its mouth up, the goose opened it up and let her fall down further, before repeating the manoeuvre as she slipped in.

An innocent looking swallow, and an odd bob of its head, and she was gone.

And then a blur of red was on it, leaping over the gap and diving straight for its throat. Tackled to the ground, thrashing and honking with wings flapping and a red tail up and rustling, the fight was over in seconds.

Both Kylie and Ash looked on gawking as Mr Fox stood over the decapitated body, pulling out the mouse with his fingers. She stood there as still and shocked as Kylie had been, the odd blink the only thing suggesting she was alive.

Mr Fox looked down at her and smiled a massive toothy grin, before pausing as he pulled out an errant feather that was stuck in there. "Now that _really_ takes me back," he commented, before giving a double whistle and two clicks of his tongue.

Ash, still in shock, brought his cassette player out, put a new one in, and fast forwarded by just over a minute.

'_We gotta get outta this place, if it's the last thing we ever do…_

_We gotta get outta this place. Girl, there's a better life for me and you…"_

.

.

It turned out that Mr Fox had already dealt with the other goose, picking it off with his air rifle but not getting the chance to inspect it before he'd heard the screams. He'd then abandoned it, racing off in a blind panic, which thankfully melted away when he'd heard his son laughing.

So, after he and Ash had carried their goose back to the entrance, with Kylie tagging on behind with the mouse, they went over to retrieve number two and the clutch of eggs that had been left. There were five, and they weren't warm, showing that the geese hadn't started to incubate them yet and thus they were fine for consumption, much to the relief of the opossum.

Gathering it all up, they turned and left, checking back in at the front, Ash's recorder playing out as they went.

The mouse had been taken off for treatment, she had a few broken bones and some minor chemical burns from the digestive fluids of both _Branta Canadensis_ and _Nepenthes Rajah_, though the majority of lasting damage would likely be psychological.

Seeing Kylie go off on his own with his eggs, and Ash in the sidecar with the geese, Mr Fox turned back to the owner of the club, briefly explaining the damage the geese had done and the faulty stone. He paused, though, as the tiny mammal began chuckling. "Is this despair induced insanity coming on?" he asked. "I know some guys and girls who can help with that."

The mouse shook his head. "No, no," he assuaged. "It's just that the rich shrew who previously had exclusive use over those gardens… -doesn't, anymore. Cancelled his booking, too late to get a refund, and said I could do what I want with it."

Mr Fox looked on and nodded. "Now there's a potentially tale with a lot of drama and excitement in it."

"It's probably about as boring as tax law," the mouse rebuked, chuckling some more. "Anyway, what with the trashing of the small mammal features, I think I'll open it up to larger mammals now. Thanks for dealing with my pest problem by the way!"

"Always a pleasure to deal with a loose goose."

"Not the kind of pest I was talking about," the mouse replied as he walked back in, not seeing the slightly unnerved expression on Mr Fox's muzzle. "But thanks regardless."

"Thanks," Mr Fox replied, before turning around and walking back to his bike. "Now there's a mouse with a slightly low regard for mammal life if I've seen one," he remarked, as he started it up, pausing as the engine coughed and spluttered, a thick cloud of smoke belching out of the tailpipe. "Goggles!" He looked down, checking the Ash was ready to go, before he set off.

.

Not long later, they pulled up to a mechanics store, all sorts of bits and pieces and old military equipment sitting inside. Walking in, he settled down, pressing the button and waiting before a swift fox vixen walked out. Dressed in her grease stained overalls, Skye glanced up and smiled as she saw him. "Hello Freddy," she greeted, before pausing as she saw the bike. "Which part now?"

"Carburettor."

She replied with a quick nod. "On it." Off she went into the back of the shop, rustling around, all while talking as she worked. "How's Felicity?"

"Oh, she's positively radiant," he replied. "In fact, I'll tell her to call tonight."

"Bit busy tonight," Skye said.

"Work?"

"Date, actually," the vixen noted.

Mr Fox's eyes raised a bit and he nodded. He knew she wouldn't enjoy being pressed further, so he left it at that. "I'll tell her to phone tomorrow then, it'll help build the surprise."

"Surprise?"

"She may or may not have one."

"Oh really?" she replied. "I… -AH-HA!" There was a light clattering, before she walked out, part in paws. "This should keep your old girl going for a good while."

"Are you sure you know my wife?" he asked. "That's really not her thing."

She gave him a mirthful look, before grabbing her tools and exiting the counter area. "Anyway," she carried on. "We recently had some updates from Sweetie, which I'm pretty sure is her thing."

Mr Fox nodded. "How is your little sister, by the way?"

"Same old, same old," she replied, waving it off as they exited the office. She paused though as she saw the bike. "It'll be easier if you two just leave me alone to get on with it," she said.

Mr Fox nodded, though his mind was on different things. Looking over, he saw his son sat in the sidecar, ears drooping down and his muzzle lowered to the ground, no strength or energy in his body. He looked defeated, and sad, and, though he didn't show it, the older fox felt some worry. He walked forwards, tapping him on the shoulder and asking him to come inside with him while Skye got to work.

In they went, sitting down. Ash was silent throughout.

Mr Fox, for once, had a tongue that was locked up, his mind trying to work out what to say. What to do. How not to mess up. Hunting pests, predators and birds that could kill him were things he could do without thought, things that got his blood pumping and excitement racing through him, things that he lived for and could do on instinct. Yet his son, slumped down and sorry for himself for some unknown reason…

Well, it was a thing he could screw up on.

A thing he _had _screwed up on. This felt like an awkward moment, one made awkwarder given the note he had in his phone case and the knowledge he had to share. Normally he'd try to joke or spin it, but the last time he'd tried to do that…

The last time was when his nephew's entry into a comic competition had got his son's creation, which had previously got on, booted off. He'd tried to joke out of the awkwardness, saying that maybe the surprise celebrations should be moved over to Kris. It was just his way of trying to break the ice, move on from the frigid tension, yet unknown to him it had cracked and shattered his son. It almost made him lose him, were it not for the actions of a dear friend.

He hadn't known then how much that comic, and the work and effort and graft put into it, had meant for his boy. After that whole event, he began to realise that there was a lot, deep down, he didn't know about him. He would fume and grump, yet sometimes his eyes would light up with joy, and now…

Well…

"Is everything okay, Ash?"

…

"Ash?"

"You were right," he said, making Mr Fox pause. "I'm… I'm not cut out to be ranger material. I…"

"You did good today."

There was a pause, Ash blinking a few times, before he looked up at him. "What… How…?"

"Well, there's the expert tracking for a start, which, while it could still do with a lot of experience, shows that you're well ahead of the curve for a beginner. Finding and following that second trail shows you have a keen eye and nose. You weren't falling over, or getting lost, or making a fool of yourself. Your animal instincts were on point there, son." He leant down, patting him on the back. "Pure wild animal instincts. You have them, kit."

Ash looked up at him, blinking a few times with a mix of wonder and awe on his face, before he shook his head and looked away. "Yeah… -but… I got scared."

"So?"

"I ran away!" he said, his voice raising. "I ran and fled, and was scared…" He paused, breathing in and out. "Your instincts were right, back at therapy, I… You said you couldn't see me as a ranger, and…" There was a huff. "I'm not."

"Ash," Mr Fox began. "Do you know why I didn't invite you on my jobs previously… -and did invite Kris? Scratch that, you probably do, and you're probably a little right and a little wrong. Let me tell you. You were smaller, and weaker, and ungainly, yes. You could be rash and make the wrong decisions. Things Kris weren't and didn't. Being a hunter or a ranger of whatever, you have to rely on your instincts. Make the right decisions in a blink of an eye…"

"Which I didn't do…"

"Which you did perfectly," Mr Fox replied, as he held Ash's paw. The young fox looked up at him, his head tilting slightly as he did so. "Yes, you ran. You saw your friend dead when you were meant to be after a fairly harmless goose; faking death, yes, but you weren't to know that. So, you thought you had a killer goose on the loose? Well done, you saw what was going on and you changed your plans! You were scared? If there's something big and bad out there, yeah, I'd be scared too."

"You…? Scared?" Ash asked, slightly out of disbelief.

"Don't go spreading about the news," Mr Fox said, "but I got scared plenty of times. I ran, plenty of times. I hid, plenty of times. So did your mother. So did Skye's sister, and all the other rangers… Out there, you were a wild animal, both pred and prey. You needed both, you needed to call your shots and know when you were outmatched. When it was best to stand your ground, or hide or, as you did, grab a weapon and retreat to a safe place."

"So… I didn't mess up?"

"No."

"What if I'd of grabbed the gun and stayed there?"

"Also not messing up," Mr Fox replied. "There are plenty of ways not to mess up. As for messing up, curling into a crying ball was the main one. Did you do that?"

Ash chuckled lightly. "No. I did sock Kylie though."

Mr Fox laughed. "And it was an excellent sock. Brilliant for a first timer. You made the right call there, as you did when I came in." He paused, closing his eyes and breathing in and out. "Ash. I was wrong back then, at therapy and before. It'll need some practice, lots of it. Never splitting up and keeping in your teams too. Especially never telling your mother about the whole 'dead Kylie' and mouse eating thing. But you weren't an ungainly scared noise machine, were you? Ash, you were a good tracker and ranger back there. I'm proud of you."

Mr Fox could help but smile as his son's face lit up with pride. "I… I…" He paused, before just smiling and nodding proudly.

"There we go."

Ash turned away, before shaking his head, a sigh coming out. A sad sigh. Mr Fox turned, suddenly concerned again, as he spoke out. "Thanks," he said. "I… I do like the idea of being a ranger, but… -But it's not that whole one-hundred percent thing anymore. Sixty-seventy…"

"Like being an athlete?"

"I am an athlete," Ash replied, a little more assertively. "Just… Just not a very good one. Kris is better."

"What about shooting? You might be a good shot."

"I… -I might be," he pondered. He shook his head again. "You know, it's silly. I… I don't know what I want to be. There's all these different things mixing about, and they're all opposite to each other. I could be a ranger, or maybe a cop, but I'm also a comic book artist. I love music and mixing it, but I'm learning sign language. I was thinking about psychology a bit, but that's about the opposite to being a marksmammal." He looked over his shoulder, noticing Skye at work in her element, putting together the bike engine again. "All these different things I'm sort of good at and I'm juggling them around. But they all clash with each other, take time from each other, and I feel I won't become great at them unless I commit. But which do I commit to?" He sighed. "After all, I'm not great… -I feel I'm not fantastic at any of them."

Mr Fox paused, before smiling. Remembering the little note in his phone case, he knew that his son had laid the perfect little path for him to follow. Time to be fantastic. "Ash," he said. "You can be good at all of those things," he said, hugging him slightly. There was a little resistance, as expected from a teenager, but it soon faded. "Great at them. Fantastic! A ranger using sign language to signal to his crew that a dangerous eagle is tracking them, and then using his experiences to help his comic book stories! A great marksman too, with enough practice. Or there's the police force, where a bit of psychology could get you out of some sticky situations. Ash, you can be fantastic at all of those things, both separately and at the same time. It is quite possible, don't you know? Surely, you've seen it in action with a certain Tod of the house, hmmm? You can be a fantastic tracker, a fantastic ranger, a fantastic artist, a fantastic marksmammal, a fantastic cop, a fantastic shrink and most definitely a fantastic big brother."

"Yeah," Ash said. "Thanks, I…"

…

Mr Fox smiled as his son paused, blinking a few times before looking up at him, confused.

…

"You did just say," he began, each word said slowly, carefully, tenderly, as if on thin ice. "What you just said... -didn't, you…?"

Mr Fox nodded. "I did, Ash. We learnt about it not that long ago… Unfortunately the same day the nighthowler warning went out, but that's your mother and timing for you. You're going to be a big brother, Ash. There's going to be a little Tod…"

"Or Vixen."

"Or Vixen," he agreed, "who'll look up to you… How do you feel? Feel good?"

Ash was silent for a few seconds, stuck in thought, as a light smile grew across his muzzle. "I don't really know," he said. "But I'm looking forwards to it. I… -I think I do know how I feel now."

"Oh," Mr Fox said, "and how's that?"

Ash looked back at him proudly. "I feel fantastic."

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**AN: So, just like at the end of the film, Felicity is pregnant. Will it be a boy, or a girl, or might we get both? To answer that question, I used some dice rolls to work out how many (1-3:1 4-5:2 6: Do another roll for 3+) and what sex (Odd: boy. Even: girl). When will you find out? Not for a good while yet.**

**The first scene, with Mr and Mrs Fox, was the first thing I wrote in this series, more to try and pin down Mr Fox's character than anything. I then came back to the rest of it after filling out the previous fics. It was fun worldbuilding the recreational area for rodents, with the jungle landscaping and artwork (the ability to bring people into new and wonderful worlds is one of the best things about writing, but setting it in an existing IP often limits your ability to do so), while I had great fun with hunting/ being hunted scenes.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this one-shot.**

**And tune in next time…**

**As the crossing over really begins. We'll call it a date ;)**

**.**

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The proprietor of Flora and Fauna relaxed at his desk chair, his ears listening on as a fine recording of the _Barber of Seville_ played through his store. Not long until it would be time to close shop. Then he could enjoy some fine wine, a good cigar, and a hot bath. He had an awful lot on his plate, what with the investigation going on, and such things were the perfect recipe to help him calm down.

"Uh, hello?"

He paused, looking around.

"I, uh… Hello?"

Looking down, he smiled as he saw a nervous looking mouse below him. "Hi, uh… Do you…" she began, before her voice quietened down into an unrecognisable mumbling.

"Pardon me, but do you mind speaking up?"

"Do you have any…" she repeated, only to descend into mumbling again.

The pig sighed and leant down, his ear close to her as she spoke up, louder this time. "_Do you have any… uh… venus-fly-traps_?"

"Why yes, I…"

"-They're for a friend!" she butted in loudly. "For a friend!"

The shopkeeper paused as she backed away a little, looking around here and there nervously. "I'll check in the back," she said, leaving her alone.

Her body was hot, flushed and embarrassed, while she felt slightly sick about herself right now. Still, no-one would ever know about her and…

She paused as she saw a shadow come around and, turning around, she saw a cheetah in a police officer's uniform. The little mouse gave a nervous chuckle and a wave. Hopefully she wouldn't…

The cheetah gave her a stink eye, and the mouse felt like she wanted to vanish into nothing.

She knew. She most definitely knew.


	21. So we're inters now 1

**FFoZ S1E9**

**Chapter 1**

**.**

.

Skye was going on a date with a rabbit.

A jackrabbit, called Jack!

Driving down to where they'd agreed to meet, she remembered that she hadn't really been expecting that to happen. After meeting him when Nick had called her over to help, she'd soon got to work, picking apart and rebuilding that giant stage of his. Bit by bit by bit…

It was certainly something different to another car, machine or ex-army vehicle, that was for sure. However, while she'd been happy to busy herself away with working out how things worked, or at least had worked before the mess up, and then fixing them, she'd also found that observing the acting hare was more interesting than she'd expect.

He was certainly an _interesting_ character.

He'd muse out loud on what his characters might do, or mentally smash together different plot ideas to see if they fit, or literally act out parts in front of her.

She wasn't sure if that had been him trying to impress her, or just trying to keep himself occupied. When he wasn't occupied, he'd be sitting down and sleeping, or daydreaming, or staring off into the distance.

All very different to her, until it came to that theatre owner.

_That meddler..._

But that wasn't a problem anymore. One hustle later and all that was sorted, and then they'd accidentally joked themselves into a date.

So, here she was.

Driving into Sahara Square, dressed in a dusty red button up T-shirt and some grey shorts, about to date a jackrabbit called Jack.

Turning around the corner, she felt a little tremor of doubt. When they'd joked themselves into the date, she'd initially thought that she would be the one to organise everything, set it up and take him out. She could handle it all by herself, not wanting to cause him any bother or get anything wrong. Of course, he'd then said that he'd organise the date, and she remembered that it tended to be a thing the boyfriend did, at least for the first time. She guessed they could share the task going on, though she still felt a slight unease at it.

Skye shook her head, it was too late for any doubts now. She saw him off in the distance and pulled up, parking her little two seat convertible, a restored thing as old as she was, right next to him. Looking over, she paused and waited.

And waited.

"Uh, Jack?"

He'd seemed to almost be daydreaming but, on her call, Jack jolted to attention and looked at her, flashing a smile. Running forward, he hopped right over the door and her, landing in the passenger seat. "Doing good?" he asked, oddly suavely.

She smiled back. "Yup. Doing good."

She paused as he looked at her with a critical eye, shaking his head. "Skye," he began, definitely doing the suave accent now. "By the end of this, you'll be doing _great_." He flashed her a wink, before putting on his seatbelt.

She couldn't help but feel a little charmed. "Nice," she said, grooving in her seat a little.

"Cool."

"Neato."

He nodded, before turning to face the road ahead. "Onwards," he called, pointing his finger forwards, Skye taking it as the que to fire up her engine and drive off. Threading the gears, feeling the excited pep of the engine rev up, she smiled as they were soon cruising down the road.

"Where to?"

"We have an arrangement at the Grand Palm," he said smoothly, the news perking her up a little. She'd never been before, though she knew it was nothing short of a Zootopian cultural institution. It wasn't just the hotel and casino, there was the second biggest performance space in the city, multiple bars and restaurants, and all sorts of conference halls that got rented out here and there. She glanced down at Jack, her curiosity piquing at what awaited them. "So, where are we going when we get there?"

"To a place, my dear, for special mammals like us."

Well, she noted, that was ambiguous. She'd also noticed the way he'd said it, just like everything else that night, was posh and proud. Not the kind of pompousness he'd get whenever his artistic talent was critiqued, this was something else. Almost like…

"Jack?"

"Yes, my dear."

_Yup, it was._ "You're acting, aren't you?"

"I may be taking inspiration from the greats about how I'm treating a fine vixen like yourself, certainly," he said, before flashing a grin.

She giggled a little, about to speak but then cut off.

"Ahem… Skye," he said, sitting upright and crossing his arms, a slightly sterner look on his muzzle as he almost lectured her, in that slightly pompous and prideful way that shouldn't really be cute.

But totally was.

"I hope you understand that I didn't intend this as a parody."

"Is it my fault if I find you funny?" she asked.

"I'm not being funny, Skye," he said, overly formally in a way that made her almost but not quite sure he was being. She giggled some more, before he spoke again. "Would you like me to try something else?" he asked, his voice a mix of pride and sass.

In a way, she was conflicted about how to answer that. She liked the way he acted things out; the enjoyment he obviously got out of it reminded her of the joy she took from her own work. But, then again… If this were to last or anything, she'd better get to know the real him. After all, she had to make sure the foundations of this thing were all set up and ready before trying to build on top of it. "Maybe," she said, "you can just be you."

This time his pridefulness went right up to eleven. "Skye. I _am_ just me," he pointed out, closing his eyes, lifting up his head and gesturing to himself.

"Except when you're 'acting', like that."

And then he seemingly dropped the act, slumping his shoulders and head, slouching a bit and letting his face droop into an innocent expression. "But it's what I do," he defended in his regular voice, while giving an exaggerated, paws out in the open, shrug.

"Well, you don't do it all the time," she pointed out. "Maybe I want to meet the 'you' that's around when acting and all that stuff is off the table. You know… Casual Jack?"

He thought for a few seconds before shrugging it off. "Meh, cool then," he replied, slouching down back into his seat, his feet going right up onto the dashboard. "I'll do that."

"Nice," she said, smiling as she drove on. "I mean, it's fun when you do those things." They were, it was all part of the character she'd met, the one that had piqued her interest. It was a fun quirk, and it was nice to see a mammal that took passion in what he did, instead of just moping about complaining about how 'unfair' things were… "But I think the idea of tonight is to get to know what each other's really like, isn't it? That's sort of what dates are for, so it's what we'll do. Right?"

…

"I guess..."

She glanced down at him, seeing him lazily looking up at the rear-view mirror, or rather the dreamcatcher hanging from it.

"You guess?"

His eyes flickered over to her for a second, before he shook himself out of his headspace. He smiled at her, and spoke suavely again. "Well, having fun is certainly is another important intention when dating."

"Well," Skye said. "Let's have some!"

.

.

It wasn't that long before she'd arrived at the Palm Hotel parking lot, the pair getting out and looking up at it. For the most visible landmark in the city, it had an almost alien presence for many, despite being far more than a mere hotel, so she was excited to finally be going in. Jack wandered along, leading the way, as she followed him to the lobby.

Walking in, the vixen took a moment to take in the scope of the lobby's size and decoration, palm bark like details with backlighting built into all the arches and vaults, before following Jack further in. The striped jackrabbit led her on to the front desk, where a receptionist took one glance at them before speaking. "I guess you're here for OWO?" she asked, Skye pausing, not knowing what that stood for

"I'm guessing my date's prettiness tipped you off," he cooly replied, going all sauve again while giving a coy glance up at her. His eyes hit hers, and she felt a little warm from the attention, a smile growing on her muzzle. Any reply though was cut off as she noted the look the receptionist was giving her, a tired one, laced with a weary sympathy or pity. It was saying, '_You poor thing, is this really what you've settled for?' _ It broke off whatever happy thing Skye was feeling right then, replacing it with a slap of indignation. She was a grown vixen dammit, and she was hanging out with Jack because she wanted to!

"Maybe it's just…" she began, before pausing, blinking as she tried to finish the sentence but stumbled.

"-Her date is good enough to send her speechless," Jack filled in, as he grabbed the tickets and left the booth. Skye followed him on once more, relaxing a bit and smiling again. She was fairly solitary so she didn't get called pretty often, especially not in a genuinely romantic way like that, and she wouldn't have thought it would have much of an effect on her.

Yet...

Yet…

It did.

She pondered it and the rest of her draw to him, her tail sweeping up into her paws so she could fidget with the end a little as she thought. There was the fun that came from hanging out with him while she worked, and the anti-meddler solidarity, but she had to admit that he did look a little handsome, and him calling her pretty for the first time did feel nice. So maybe, just maybe, she might have a little crush on him?

Nothing wrong with that, right?

"You know," she said, going up to him. "You didn't have to go all acting there…"

"But the opportunity was perfect," he complained, paws up.

"Oh, I'm not complaining," she replied with a smirk. "But I do hope the prettiness thing wasn't acting too."

He looked at her and smiled. "You can act and tell the truth at the same time, Skye," he haughtily lectured, making her smile some more.

"And I can't act," she replied, rolling her eyes. "So, you know I mean it when I say you're fun, cute and handsome."

He blinked a few times. "You're not supposed to call a bunny cute, Skye," he said, in his slightly full of himself manner again. Which only made him even cuter, especially as he looked up at her and gave her a secret little smile. '_But you can…_' it almost seemed to say to her.

"Then you're just fun and handsome," she said.

He shrugged, as if she'd said it was a nice day, or that there was an interestingly shaped cloud nearby. "Cool." And off he went, Skye following him.

She guessed the 'real' Jack was fairly nonchalant about a lot of things. Well, she was hoping to find out more about him, and there was something! She wordlessly followed him on as he led her to one of the doors, showing off the sign by it.

.

'_Outsiders with Outsiders: Zootopia chapter.'_

_._

"Outsiders with…" she read off, before cutting off, blinking a few times as she was hit with a realisation. "This is an Inter Support Group."

"We're inters," he said, shrugging. "Found out about this last night. Seemed obvious…"

Slowly nodding, Skye tried to hide her sense of disappointment. It wasn't like she needed 'support' or anything, and this kind of thing sounded like the opposite of what she'd be interested in. She'd been hoping that this night would have been something fun or exciting together, not one of these kinds of get togethers.

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her muzzle. Grrrr… _This _was why she should have planned today. It was probably going to be mammal after mammal talking about this and that, on how things were hard on them because they were inters, or asking about how she and Jack had met. Questions and chatter and moping about and all this talking and meeting and greeting and bumping into stranger after stranger…

It _really_ wasn't her idea of a good time. She stepped back a bit, maybe wondering if she could back out now, before shaking her head. She could try and endure this. After all, it was her fault for deferring the organising onto Jack.

Anyway, maybe it wouldn't be so bad?

"Right," she muttered, as she went up with Jack and entered. She was almost immediately hit by a wave of smells, noise and colours, a smile growing on her face again. Alongside a bustling bar and food area, the exhibition area in front of her was filled out with all sorts of games and booths and other things. Mammals, walking together in pairs both fairly similar and crazily different, filtered between one and another, all of them appearing to have lots of fun. Her ears rising, Skye relaxed; it was most definitely not as bad as she feared. This was much more to her liking and so she and Jack walked off, ready to have some fun.

…

"Hey Skye…"

She ignored him, focussing on the game in front of her. There were dozens of free arcade games, and they were racing on a motorbike one, clinging onto the plastic bikes and watching the screen speed past in front of them. A biker already, Skye's eyes were laser focussed ahead, her body tense and poised while her ears were folded back with a predatory edge to them, the swift fox making sure to dominate all others competing. Jack had already fallen so far behind that she thought he'd given up, so why was he…

"_Raindrops keep falling on my head…_"

Glancing to her side, she blinked as she saw him sitting up on his bike as if he was taking a lazy cycle. He was even moving his feet as if pedalling! He gave her an innocent look, and then carried on singing.

"_But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red. Just like…"_

He was cut off as Skye screamed, her eyes widening as she saw herself about to drive straight into a pit of lava. Brakes on, pulling and leaning hard to the left, she got back on track, but not before letting her main competitor come right up next to her. Slamming him to the side, cutting the corners, her tongue was stuck out in concentration as she diced and duelled all the way to the finish line, narrowly grabbing the first place position. "Yes! Still won!"

There was a tired panting from her side, and looking over she saw Jack fanning himself with his paw, his face etched with both exhaustion and relief. He nodded, before a choked smile grew on his muzzle. "Good. For a moment there I thought we were in trouble."

Skye's head cocked with confusion, before she rolled her eyes and glanced at his screen, and his dead last position. "Well one of us still is."

In a flash his grizzled face was back to normal, and he leant forwards, balancing his body in a plank on the seat while carrying on steering.

"Are you even trying to catch up?"

He sat up again, before lying on his back, his feet operating the handlebars.

"Are you even trying to cross the line?"

"Are you even trying to have fun, Skye?" he asked teasingly, waving his palms open to ask her. He then flipped himself around, sitting backwards and steering the bike with his shoulders.

"I…" she pondered, before trailing off. Rolling her eyes, she leant down and patted him on the head. "Why would I need to when your silliness is doing that for me?"

Turning around again, he leant on the handlebars with his ears draped over his face, even covering one of his eyes. "I'm worried that you didn't get any of that."

"Any of what?"

There was a pause from Jack. "Oh dear…"

"What!?" Skye asked defensively, before pausing as she looked at his screen. "Also, that's the third time you've driven into lava."

"What's lost is lost," he replied, slipping off the bike and standing next to her. "I thought I'd just humour you a bit."

"You gave me a bit of a thrill at the end, that's for certain," she said, as he began patting the front of his bike.

"Get on here," he egged on.

"Where?"

"The front of the bike. In front of the handlebars!"

Still a bit unsure, Skye did so, balancing there as he began lazily driving on, this time avoiding the lava.

Though he was singing again.

"_Raindrops keep falling on my head…_"

.

.

Looking up on her phone, she watched the clip from _Bull Cassidy and the Sundance Kit_ play out, smiling as she got Jack's little tribute. He'd given up playing the game when he dropped well behind, and given the choice of just lazing around or having a bit of acting based fun, he'd chosen the latter.

Still, it didn't help that she hadn't got his reference.

"Hey, Skye? What's your favourite film?"

She looked over at him, putting her phone away, before thinking. "I'm not sure."

"Well what are ones you like?" he began, before letting his acting side through, evidently back into his area of interest. "Which make you laugh the loudest laugh? Cry the most heartfelt cry? Move you and enlighten you while making your heart beat and your blood pump hot and frantic, as if you were a pred or prey in the savage ages? Which hold a beauty almost as great as the one you see every day in the mirror?"

She choked out a laugh as her ears went warm, stepping back a bit and glancing away, though Jack most certainly saw her tail wag a few times before it went up into her paws for a little pet. Blinking, pausing, thinking, silent for a little bit, words hung on the edge of her tongue… "I'm not sure," she said, "I'm not really a film buff. Or a theatre one I'm afraid. Buuuttt…. I guess I'd say my favourite film series would be either _Star Paws_ or _Mad Max: Furry Road_."

"Well I see where the last one comes from," he replied.

She laughed. "What about your favourites?"

"Hmmm… For pure storytelling, I'd say _The Clawshank Redemption_. For admiration for the art of the cinema, I'd say _Zoofellas_. For getting my heart beating and pumping, I'd also say _Mad Max_."

"I'll have to watch the first two then," she said with a shrug, not noticing Jack's eyes go wide with shock.

"Skye!" he gasped, almost gawking. "Where have you been?"

She shrugged. "Working. Building. Repairing…"

He rolled his eyes. "Wait… Why am I complaining? Film night excuse!" He then carried on talking about all the things they might see in the future as Skye walked beside him.

"I guess so," she agreed. She knew nothing about film or films, while he talked on and on. He did settle down after a bit and they walked on in silence, Skye unable to stop a little seed of doubt start to germinate in her. Both of them had their fields that they were dedicated to, but neither knew anything about the other's… Would this work out? It might not…

The lustre of the evening faded somewhat as they carried on walking. They were looking for a new booth to go to, and she looked and viewed at the various ones, not sure which was best. Decisions, decisions… She looked down, spotting Jack next to her, slumping down slightly, looking tired.

"Any ideas?" she asked.

He blinked a few times, before jolting to attention. "Well we start you on _Clawshank_ obviously…"

"About where we go next?"

"Haven't you made a decision?"

"I can't decide. So, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"What were you even thinking about back then?"

He shrugged. "Stuff."

"Maybe you could help me decide where we go next?"

He shrugged, closed his eyes, and pointed in a random direction. "There."

Skye nodded, and walked over to the booth with him. It was home to an elephant, who was offering up caricature pictures, drawing them with big felt tip pens held in his trunk. Looking at the pair, he pushed them on, talking about poses they could do. Little bits of back and forth fired between the bunny and fox, before Jack ended up on her lap, her muzzle resting between his ears and on top of his head.

"Oh, that's a classic," the artist said, as he began drawing.

This was okay. Jack seemed to relax completely into her, content not to be walking anymore, while to her the feeling of a bunny on her lap…

Well, it was almost comforting. Her nose so close, she smelled his scent and while there was a good deal of dirt and must on it, there was an odd comfort in what was below. More than that, even… It was hard to describe, but looking at him, feeling him on her, it only increased. She wanted him closer. It calmed her down. It made her feel warm and contented, blocking out the noise from the rest of the conference and emptying her head a little, as if she was having some 'me' time… Yet it was more than that.

He moved slightly and, feeling him do that, she moved one of her paws onto his shoulder, the knuckles brushing against his fur.

That felt good.

She let it move again, and he seemed to move into it, so she began rubbing him with them. Then, not really thinking, her paw came up and stroked his side and up his ear.

"_Eso es bueno_," he sighed contently, as he felt Skye stroking him.

"You speak spanish?" she asked curiously.

"_Mi especie vino de Mexgato_," he replied, his eyelids fluttering a little as one of her claws began scritching under his chin. "_Puedo hablar esto mas la lengua tradicional de mi especie._"

"Right, uh…" she said softly, thinking. "_Donde estas?_"

He chuckled a little, before crossing his paws. "Skye, where I am right now is in your lap."

"Oh, uh…"

"But _senorita_," he said, hammy up his vestigial accent to the nth degree. "What I was saying was that my species came from Mexicat, and I speak the language, plus the more traditional native tongue my species often does."

"That's neat," she complemented, as her thumb pad began moving up to the base of his ear. Rotating around slowly, it dug in to the sensitive area, massaging it and sending a wave of pleasure rippling through him. His right foot began hammering down rapidly, tragically breaking off the petting.

Jack couldn't help but chuckle. "Can you carry on? I was kind of enjoying that."

Behind him, Skye's ears folded back from embarrassment, though she shook it off. "I kind of do too…" she said, before closing her eyes as a flash of guilt hit her. "Sorry, I should have asked first."

"No worries," he swooned.

"Right," she began, as she felt him. She wanted to carry on, she suddenly wanted to pull him in and hug him and just coo over him, and this was coming out of nowhere and it was logically dumb but she didn't care, instead she carried on the scritching and petting. "I started rubbing you, and it felt good, I just started doing a little more and a little more and…"

"No worries," he said again, before moaning a little as her thumb pad hit that spot again. "This is the life…"

"Thanks," she replied, thinking a little before carrying on speaking. "Ever seen a baby that you just want to play with, that's so cute you just want to eat it all up?"

Clearing his throat a little, Jack looked behind him and, a hint of sternness in his voice, spoke out. "This better end with you saying I'm that adorable, Skye."

"I thought I wasn't allowed to call you that," she teased.

"That's with cute."

She chuckled a little. "I… I'm just getting that feeling with you. It's dumb, and it's silly, but it's true. I think I enjoy petting you."

"About time you came out with the truth," he playfully said. "And in a rhyme, that gives you a boost."

Chuckling some more, Skye carried on holding him, as if he were some kind of lap bunny. Jack was all too happy to comply. Maybe this wasn't exactly something they had in common, but as things they could enjoy doing together went, he certainly wasn't complaining.

…

"I personally think that the bigger the ears, the better!"

Skye rolled her eyes at his boasting. The finished caricature had given Jack a pair of ears big enough to fly with, to the point where she strongly believed that they'd either drag on the ground behind him or raise his centre of gravity above his head depending on their position. Naturally, her comments and such had him going all prideful about his big, long and striped up acoustic appendages. "Sure, sure," she replied, before looking over at the artwork again. She hadn't escaped the pen either, her muzzle being shown glomping down on the crown of his head, with both paws wrapped around him. In the background there was even a little blur, showing her rapidly wagging tail.

Spot check, it still was now.

.

A seed of doubt crept into her mind though.

Wasn't it a bit shallow just to have him because she enjoyed hugging and stroking him? Then again, he did make her laugh a lot, but that wasn't much more, was it? How much did they see eye to eye on things, or what else could they bond on other than the usual hatred of meddlers. Pausing, thinking, Skye was about to speak when she noticed a small area off to her right. A group of mammals were sitting down in front of a speaking podium, with a little sign raised above it.

'_Thinkers about Inters. Fun facts about us._

_Presented by ZPD Precinct 11's Chief Ramic._'

"How about we try over there," she pondered out loud, pointing at a cluster of free seats. Jack looked over and nodded.

"Over… -Oh, right," he said absently. "Okay."

So, off they went, about to find out what all this was about.

.

.

.

.

**AN: Urghhh. This chapter was a pain. I ended up rewriting it from the ground up (though saving the general outline, while copying and pasting some scenes). Originally it would flick between both of their viewpoints, while I also attempted to fit in my new ideas for Jack's character (the whole scatterbrained/ spaced out idea when not focussed). In the end, I felt it had no spark so I redid it, entirely from Skye's perspective (which worked well as she hasn't had any character building POV parts yet). I also had Jack specifically drop his 'acting romantic' for 'acting casual' thing much earlier.**

**Part of the problem is that I want two distinct characters who are both different from Nick and Judy, but who can mesh together well with them when the time calls for it.**

**Anyhow, hope you enjoyed the first part of a bunnyfox date in the series. Like, subscribe and comment, and see you next time.**


	22. So we're inters now 2

**Chapter 2:**

.

.

Together, Jack and Skye settled down at the little conference, the swift fox looking over at the others in attendance. She was drawn the most to a coyote with a red dye mask around his eyes and, hanging off his left ear, a long, red, threaded-string earing that ended in a pair of red feathers. He was a tribe member for certain, and a slight curiosity filled Skye. Maybe she could talk to him afterwards, just for a little bit.

Next to him was a rather content looking skunkette, with a slick head of short white hair. It was a fairly common feature among female skunks, Skye having seen at least one other skunkette with white hair, albeit straight and long, hanging down to her chin level.

Alongside those two were a number of other interspecies pairs. There were some with similar species to each other, such as a goat and a mouflon or a nine banded armadillo paired with a three banded one, but there were also a disproportionate number of more drastically different pairings as well. There was a white wolf who just so happened to glance over at her and Jack and point them out, his tail going into a wagging fit, who sat next to what at first seemed like another canine. However, looking closer at the tan female, Skye noticed a set of distinct stripes on the back of her legs and down her brushless tail, marking her out as a thylacine. The tasmanian tiger and her wolf mate might look similar, but they were about as far apart as one could get without her laying eggs.

A base that the echidna with all his spines dyed red, and the female bat next to him, covered pretty decisively.

That one may have taken the top prize, but there was still stiff competition.

The next-strangest pairing either had to be a white mouse with a white horse mare, or the jaguar sitting next to a giraffe. Other than that, there was a grey fox with a bobcat, a silver fox with a flying fox, a black mountain lion with a white-tailed deer doe, an elephant with a female otter, a bespectacled male brown bear with an orange furred red fox todd (with plastic cups on his ears), a hyena with a red panda, a lion with a hyeness, another grey fox who was with a fennec vixen, a giant panda with an anteater and, last but not least, a wolf with a sheep.

The crowd slowly quietened down, before a well-built kangaroo boomer hopped out, taking up the front stage. Beating the microphone a few times, he smiled and spoke up. "Hello, hello. Welcome everyone to our fluffy little presentation. Before I introduce myself, let me say how happy it is to see so many funky and cute pairings going on. And apologise to any bunnies here who might be offended by that term." Skye noticed a few looks turn Jack's way, but he either didn't notice or wasn't bothered by it, letting a silence fill the room for a second or two before the kangaroo carried on. "Now, before I introduce myself, I'm pretty sure that some of you might know who I am," he said, before looking over to one side of the room. The thylacine, the wolf, the mountain lion, the deer, the silver fox and the flying fox all put their paws up. "Naturally it's the cops, the assistant district attorney, and their marvellous mates who did it! I'm Chief Ramic, of the Outback Island Precinct, and a long-time supporter of inter rights." There was a pause and a smile. "Looking at all of this cute lot, apologies to any bunnies here, who wouldn't be? Am I right?"

There was a light chuckle from the crowd, and Skye looked down at Jack. "You could say you don't mind," she pointed out.

He looked up at her and shrugged. "Or he can keep saying sorry."

Ramic continued. "Regardless, my date couldn't make it tonight to be with me, so I hope you don't get tired of my voice."

"I for one think we'll never tire of it," the coyote said. Murmurs of agreement began to flow from the crowd.

The kangaroo smiled, though he shook his head a bit. "Well… Maybe you won't. In any case, we have a few things to get through. But first here's some quick facts about OWO for any newcomers in the audience; we were founded in areas that still prohibited interspecies marriage or, in some regions, interspecies relationships in general. These areas tended to use the term 'Outsiders', hence the name of our organization. Even today areas like these do exist, and OWO continues to help out, while also supporting our friends in the LGBT+ community, who suffered much lower acceptance than we did." He paused to give a nod to the bear and fox in the crowd, the latter now waving his arms like crazy. "But what about our role here in Zootopia? Well, while we won adoption equality decades ago, we still like to help out those who wish to have adorable little children, so we're the ones to come to if you ever need help going through adoption paperwork, or finding a surrogate or donor. We also continued to support the Honeywell Genetic Counselling Centre, who assist with research into borderline viable hybrids." Skye couldn't help but notice the ears of the fennec vixen droop down sharply, her mate holding her paw, though she stayed quiet.

"-There's also counselling we provide, to those who come out as inter. Just because it's a lot more common than coming out as gay doesn't mean that some mammals don't have issues with it. There's also situations where mammals are disowned by friends and family, and we aim to provide the best support we can in such cases."

Skye felt a sad twinge at that, second paw pain coming to her.

"-We've also helped provide counseling to families at large as well, helping them accept their inter members for who they are," Ramic continued, before looking over to the lion-hyena pair.

The lion nodded and stood up. "I was in a bit of a rough patch with my family when I met my mate, and her being a hyena really didn't help, given some traumatic things that happened to my father in his childhood and a lot of old… -speciesism, to say it bluntly. But OWO helped me bring up the courage to reconnect and helped them change. Today, they accept both Jazzy and me with open paws."

He was met with a round of applause, sitting back down again. "But the serious stuff isn't all we do," the kangaroo said, looking around, a smile growing on his muzzle. "We happen to support fun get togethers like this for a start, happy events where you can have fun and be with other mammals who might be going through the same thing as you. Speaking of which, anyone got any fun inter-errors to help break the ice?"

"Oooh! I do! I do!" the white wolf said, jumping up and down, paw in the air.

"'Course you do, Eliot," Ramic said, just as his mate slapped both her paws into her face.

"Not '_Sipa_', not '_Sipa_', please not '_Sipa_'," she muttered to herself, the white wolf carrying on, blissfully ignorant.

"Well," he began, wagging his tail slightly. "I once bet among a group of friends that I could bare my teeth the most, and that everyone would buy the winner a drink. -And then my little Pumpkin showed us all, won, got very drunk, and I had to carry her home!"

The crowd chuckled a little, the thylacine sighing with relief before standing up. She opened her jaw right up to and then beyond a right angle, a gleeful Eliot showing it off. Another, louder, round of applause came.

Then up came the black mountain lion, pausing as he checked with his mate before speaking up. "I've been in a long relationship with Jeanette here, and we've had the usual fun. However, in our first year, I didn't know she shed her antlers in the winter. Let's just say that, during one romantic evening, I'd been using them as a good grip when next thing you know I was panicking thinking I'd broken her."

A louder round of applause came up, along with the deer doe. "He neglects to mention that he was _running _around, panicking, at that. Fortunately, it could have been worse. One advantage of dating a feline over a canine is that I'm not dragged along in that. Quite literally."

This one brought a whole round of snickers and laughter, even a loud 'NARF' from the mouse, along with claps and applause. Jack, relaxing back in his seat, snickered a little.

Skye tried not to laugh.

She really tried.

She laughed. "Seriously… Knot jokes?"

"The highest and lowest form of humour…" he said innocently, before pausing. "Hmmm, maybe I could fit one in between…"

He trailed off, just as it was the echidna's turn. "Before being with Rouge here, I was with a wallaby, and picked up a few things I tried to carry along. I spent too long looking for my bat's pouch entrance."

"-Oh I'm so sorry for you," the white wolf said, speaking up. "I can't imagine my love life without snout in pouch actio…"

He was cut off by a slap from his thyalice mate as the silver fox, his flying fox mate draped over his head, spoke. "The first time I flew back to my parents in Poland with Zoe we were shattered from the jet lag, so we got home and went straight to bed."

"Even better," the fruit bat chirped, "his old room had a ceiling fan which I could roost from, so we didn't bother unpacking the portable hanger."

"The downside was when my mother came in the next morning, flicked on the lightswitch, and accidentally the fan switch."

There was a round of laughs and clapping, while the flying fox looked down at him with a cheeky look. "I don't know what they're laughing about. BEST WAKEUP EVER!"

The silver fox nodded. "If you were imagining her hitting the wall, forget it. Imagine my mother doing it instead, she fainted."

Another jovial round of applause came before the elephant stood up. "When her old boyfriend tried to crash our wedding, my lovely Sandra used my wedding ring as an offensive weapon against him." He slipped the band off with his trunk, his otter wife holding it with both paws and spinning it around as a demonstration.

Finishing his clapping, the coyote stood up. "One time, naturally when she had no clothes in the way, I found that if I tickled Roxxie in _just_ the wrong place it sent a little twitch through her scent glands."

A round of laughter went off as the skunkette stood up. "I found out just how much a mate with a sensitive nose can moan about that."

More laughter, along with some claps, and Ramic took over again. "There, there, the cute little hijinks we get up to in the name of love. Now, it's interesting to note that we do have a diverse range of pairings here. We have a few similar pairings, with our armadillo friends for instance, and these tend to make up the majority of inter pairings. Now, it's estimated that half of all mammals meet the minimum criteria of being an inter, that's having an attraction to a mammal of a different species. This tends to occur when the relationship between scent and attraction is broken, with scent being a key requirement for many mammals to feel an attraction. Remove that, though, and visual attraction comes far more into play. Scent and sight will still often preference mammals of the same species, but, without the scent red-line element, relationships with similar mammals becomes much more common. Ten-percent or so of Zootopians in relationships are in inter relationships, and eighty percent of those are 'similar species' ones. Of course, these tend to be fairly well accepted ones, which can often produce hybrids, often viable ones at that. Any wolves here likely have some coyote in them, and vice-versa, and…" he began, looking over at Skye, her eyes widening a little as his gaze came on here. "-any swift foxes likely have some kit fox in them."

There were general murmurs of agreement, as Ramic's smile grew. "Most canids will then still go for canids, most felines for felines, lagomorphs for lagomorphs and so on. But a few special mammals might have no species preference, or a special one for some lucky species. I'm so happy to see so many of you here tonight!" Another round of clapping came, before the kangaroo spared a glance at both her and Jack and the wolf and sheep pair. "There is one, other, interesting quirk that often drives inter relationships. In particular, pred-prey ones. Now, anyone here ever seen a cute little baby, and you say you could just eat them all up?"

Murmurs of agreement were thrown around.

"Well, it's because a lot of the brain circuitry that controls what you want to eat is very close to that which tells us that something is cute! So when you say that, it's sort of because you do want to eat them up! In any case, predators evolved out of that urge eons ago, but the base circuitry still survives, it does in all of us. And, when many preds see their traditional prey, it still fires! Only this time, the hunt and kill signal is a cuddle and snuggle signal! Something that I think is the cutest thing that evolution ever did to us, don't you agree?"

Everyone chuckled, agreeing, bar one mammal.

Skye.

As Ramic went on about how such pred-prey relationships were far more common as compared to other 'wide-field' relationships as a result, she was looking at Jack and silently nudging herself away. She looked at him, feeling that very same little urge being talked about, and buried it deep down, looking away from him. Was that what her attraction to him, the main thing behind this entire potential relationship, was?

An old hunting instinct?

It didn't sit right with her, not at all.

She closed her eyes, pulled her tail up so she could stroke it for comfort, and took a deep breath in, guessing that this whole thing was just a little bit of fun but that there wasn't really anything good or firm for anything to be built on. After all, once the snuggling urges she was feeling were outed for the faulty things they were and, rightfully, disqualified, what really was there between them? They could be good friends, but she guessed that being lovers wouldn't work.

So, she resigned herself, watching as the kangaroo finished his speech and mammals began to get up and talk to each other. This was turning out like she feared, lots of strangers chatting to each other, and she likely having to bounce between them, trying and failing to strike up a conversation, getting bored, before she could finally filter out discreetly. Go home, have some sweet potato fries with blue cheese sauce as it was too late for coffee and a little ration of dark chocolate, before settling down to some music or TV and recharging herself.

Looking around, she paused as she saw the coyote from earlier and decided to go over and have a little talk with him, given that it would be more than just keeping up appearances.

She was cut off though as Chief Ramic hopped up to her and Jack, looking down at them. "Hey there! Nice to meet you, I'm pretty sure you're new here. Sorry about the 'cute' moments."

Jack shrugged. "Doesn't bug me."

"Excellent. Then you don't mind me saying how cute you two are! I love bunny-fox pairs, ever since I first laid my eyes on Hopps and Wilde."

"Cool," Jack said.

"-They're together!?" Skye exclaimed, not seeing that one coming.

Ramic looked at her and smirked. "We can all hope." He then gave her a wink.

"Well, I think Judy Hopps is staying over at his place tonight," Jack said. "I'm an old friend of hers. In fact, it was she who introduced me to Nick, who then introduced me to Skye here."

"Aaaw, spreading the love," Ramic replied, before giving Jack a wink. "Well, best of luck, I've got other perfect pairings to meet up with, a potential associate of an evil scientist to keep an eye on… -And I keep on hearing someone mention 'Crimes', so I better check that out. See you soon…. Or at the wedding…. -Or both…."

His voice trailed off as he bounced into the crowd, the pair left in an awkward silence. Looking at each other, Jack waggled his eyebrows up and down a few times before speaking. "He's a fair cop."

Despite her recent concerns, and slight discomfort at the grilling, Skye couldn't help but burst out laughing. As she recovered, though, she looked around, noticing the coyote was gone. In his place was the jaguar (alongside his giraffe mate), who was busy talking to the panda and anteater about having to recently find a new employer. Apparently, said new boss currently had him pulling out old plans in order to help workers repair 'goose damage' to a bunch of his past projects. They were all locked in their conversation, and to Skye it felt far too rude to butt in. "Jack," she said, deciding that she didn't fancy hanging about here anymore. "How about we find a…"

"-Uh, excuse me?"

She was cut off by another voice, and then another.

"Yes, sorry, excuse us…"

Looking towards them, she saw the hyena from earlier making his way through the crowd. In front of him, his red panda slipped through and looked at them both. "Were you talking about Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps?"

"We happen to be friends," Jack said, the red panda smiling back in response.

"One of my colleagues at work worked with him on an undercover mission!"

"Yeah," the hyena added. "We then went and bust a criminal too. And long story short, now we're dating!"

"Well Nick and Judy introduced Skye and I, this is our first date."

"Ours too!" the red panda chirped, before pausing. "You know, I'm a bit hungry. Maybe we could go and talk over some food?"

Jack nodded, before looking up at Skye. "Yea or nay? Incidentally, I'm for 'yay'."

Skye couldn't help but agree, the idea of sitting down with just a few mammals and having some nice food and drink sounding blissful compared to the hubbub currently around them. She smiled, looking at the other three, and giving her lips an exaggerated lick. "Sounds extra tasty!"

A loud rumble of the hyena's stomach signalled his agreement, and he chuckled a few times from it as they head off together.

"I'm Jack, by the way…"

"-And I'm Skye."

The hyena smiled and gestured down. "This here is Retsuko, and I'm Haida. Nice to meet you!"

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**AN: I had some fun including some easter eggs, Zoosona's and OC pairs (mine and others) in the meet up. I even have a list… -Which I'll publish next week, so you guys can have a go guessing them in the comments.**

**In other news, I'll be dropping a short little Halloween one-shot in the drabbles collection, early on the spooky day. Cya then.**


	23. So we're inters now 3

**Chapter 3:**

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**AN: As promised, the pairings list from last time.**

**The coyote and skunk: (Knoton's) Ake'cheta and Roxxie.**

**The white wolf and thylacine: (Koraru-san's) Eliot and Chloe Fanghanel.**

**The echidna and bat: (from Sonic) Knuckles and Rouge.**

**The mouse and horse: (from Animaniacs/ Pinky and the Brain) Pinky and Phar Fignewton (Yes, she still resents her parents a little for that one).**

**The jaguar and giraffe: (HarryLime03's) Desmond and Molly.**

**Grey fox and a bobcat: (Sapper Joe's and Chris the bobcat's) Sam and Kristy.**

**The silver fox and flying fox: (Crewefox's) Aleks Rojek and Zoe Nightfall. **

**The black mountain lion and the deer doe: (Ubernoner's) Jean-Pierre DuPrey and Jeannette Deaux.**

**The male bear and red fox todd: (From Night in the woods) Angus and Gregg.**

**The lion and hyena: (For the Lion guard, (but here because of Crewefox's TAS series)): Kion and Jasiri.**

**The gray fox and fennec: (Eng050599's) Clawson's.**

**The panda and anteater: (My) Melony Bao-hu and Grisha 'Grima' Huvertung.**

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**Sidenote: I've done a little cover which is up over on A03, if you wish to check it out.**

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Not long after their first meeting, the two pred-prey couples reached a bar area at the convention and settled down in a little corner. Jack and Skye sat down on some chairs on one side, while Haida sat on a mat on the floor given his much larger frame. Retsuko sat on his lap as he tried to work out what kind of expression was on Jack's muzzle.

He had a little smug smile, but quite why she didn't know.

"Uh…" Haida said, pausing as he noticed it too, before glancing over his shoulder. "Is there something funny behind me?" he asked. Seeing nothing he turned back, a grumpy look growing on his muzzle as he saw Jack's grin widen just a little. "Hey, I don't think there's anything funny going on with me right now…"

…

"-Is there?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "You two just reminded me of a little thing Skye was doing earlier."

Sitting next to him, munching on a sweet potato fry, the vixen's eyes widened as he said that.

"-when I was sitting on her lap, and…"

Swallowing her food down, she turned to him urgently. "Jack, I don't think…"

"She began petting me."

"Aaaawwww," Retsuko cooed, chuckling. "That sounds cute."

"It looked cute too," Jack replied, bringing out the drawing that had been done of them. Skye's ears peeled back, as she let her bottom lip slide back so she could bite it ever so slightly. Thankfully her tail was close at paw too.

Retsuko couldn't help but look at the picture and chuckle, while Haida had a big cheesy grin on his face. "Heh… That does look cute."

"Haida, can you pet me?"

"That looks really… -HUH?!" The hyena blinked a few times, as what his date had said caught up to him. Coming out of the blue, slapping him like that, it should have been a golden ticket to let him do what he wanted to do to her. He'd wanted nothing better than to hug and snuggle her and just give her care and attention, yet his mind was seemingly filled with a static fizzle. The only coherent thought that came in his mind was that at least Fenneko wasn't here to rub it all in.

That, and him registering the sad sigh from the red panda in his lap. Looking down, seeing her disappointed at the lack of a reply, he immediately pushed forwards, stroking her head a little. There was a little jitter, then a chuckle, and then she settled back into him as he began reflexively paying her attention. Given his size, it was often just a thumb and forefinger that did the work, petting her left paw or circling on her scalp, the odd ear getting a fidget.

"Hai-Haida," she sighed contently, settling back even further as he boyfriend smiled. "This is nice…"

"Yup," Jack agreed, as he slipped onto Skye's lap, settled down and waited.

And waited.

"Skye," Haida said, finding the situation amusing. "I think your boyfriend wants your attention."

She sighed, shaking her head. "I don't think…"

"Oh, sorry," he agreed, before looking down at the hare. "Jack, I think your girlfriend wants your attention. That is kind of the way it usual goes."

Looking up at Haida, his nose twitched a few times as he reluctantly sat up, his arms still crossed. "Fine, I'll," he began to groan, before stopping as he thought it through. "Wait, I'm the small one here. That's not gonna work."

"He has a point," Retsuko agreed, looking up. "Imagine if you tried to sit in my lap!"

Haida nodded in agreement, before his eyes widened slightly, a blank look on his face. "Retsuko, that was not an image I needed there," he said starkly, before relaxing somewhat. "Besides, I like being the one treating you. Makes me feel good, and strong, like a real boyfriend!" The red panda giggled some more, her boyfriend pausing his affection session in response. "Hey, if you think me being a real boyfriend's funny, you don't get the perks of being a real girlfriend either."

Looking up at him from his lap, she frowned a little, putting her paw on his shoulder. "Sorry there."

"Thank you," he replied, before tickling under her chin a little. From Skye's lap, Jack, his musings coming to an end, gave her a little tap, asking for attention but only getting a few weak pats on the head back.

The jackrabbit frowned. "Skye, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"Skye," he said, going all pompous. "I can tell that something is wrong right now."

"Nothing's…"

"It's so wrong I'm actually going to press this issue," he said with a serious and important tone. "What is it?"

Sighing, she slipped him off of her and looked down. "I just feel it's inappropriate to be doing that…"

Jack paused and just pointed to the pair across from them. Haida was still fussing with Retsuko's ear, but she gently tapped him to make him stop it and looked across the table to the swift fox present. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Jack added, bringing the picture up again and pointing at it. "What's wrong with this?"

Skye sighed, grabbing some more sweet potato fries, dunking them into a ton of blue cheese sauce, and eating them down to try and calm herself. Taking a long breath in through her mouth and out of her nose, she looked at the group. "You remember that presentation, right?"

Three sets of nods were returned.

"Well, Jack and I met when I did some work for him not too long ago. We became friends when I saw his meddler of a boss trying to mess up his work and we got our own back and, after that, we sort of joked our way into a date. We're quite different, into different things, and part of this date was to see if… -well you know, there was anything more between us."

"You know, I sort of thought the same thing," Jack agreed. "_But…_ I found a very suitable place as your emotional support bunny…" He was broken off by a chuckle from the other two, but stayed firm. "I was led to believe that this was an exciting opportunity we both happened to like, me especially as it means I don't have to do anything. I most certainly saw a future in it, and I do believe you did too."

"Well, then I learned that the entirety of my attraction to you was based off of a misfiring hunting instinct," Skye pointed out, a slightly harsh tone to her words. "Now, I'm not saying that it'll make me literally eat you up, or it'll make me a prime target for these nighthowler thieves, but… -But I don't really feel that that's the kind of thing you can really build a relationship out of." She sighed, looking down. "I mean, this was a spur-of-the-moment thing already, and the only thing we found we did well together was you being a good cuddle-toy…"

"Ahem," Jack said indignantly. "Emotional support bunny."

"Yeah," she said, "which doesn't really count any more, and that leaves nothing." Her ears drooped down a little. "You're a good friend Jack, but I'm just not sure you and I…"

"You know," Haida butted in. "Even if that dumb 'used to be a hunting instinct thing' is true, who cares?"

"Yeah," Retsuko added. "So what if it used to be like that? It isn't anymore, is it?"

Looking up at them, Skye remained unconvinced. "It just feels a bit…"

"A bit off?" Haida asked.

"Yeah."

"Uh-huh," the hyena replied, nodding a little. "I know that feeling."

Pausing, Skye looked between the two. "You mean, you realised it was the same thing with you and Retsuko?"

"No, not that," he began, before slamming to a halt, his eyes going wide. "Huh… What if it is?" he asked, a worried tone in his voice.

"Haida?" Retsuko asked worried, before looking over at Skye, her face wincing up angrily. "Did you just break my boyfriend!?"

A few coughs from the hyena cleared the notion from the air, while a few shakes of his head cleared the idea from his mind. "Never mind," he told himself, before looking up at Skye. "How much do you know about us hyenas?"

"Not much," Skye replied honestly. "I'm not familiar with the species."

"Right," Haida began. "The thing about us spotted hyenas is that we're really matriarchal, and I mean _really_. That means the females tend to be the ones going out, getting the big jobs, earning the money. They also woo and do the romantic stuff with the boys, who do the domestic stuff. Now, most of us and most of my family is fine by that, fair is fair and _big sister_ gets the money for a life changing study opportunity rather than me getting it for an 'unneeded cosmetic dental procedure'... yadda yadda I'm totally not salty," he said, resting his chin on his paw, his lips going up and part covering his three big snaggle teeth. There was an awkward silence, Jack and Skye glancing at each other before Haida waved it off and carried on. "So, most boys in the family were fine with that but, from early on, I wasn't. I wanted to be the big man! Going out there, earning the money and being the man of the house! It was tough though, pushing against this idea you could just give up and settle, and as I tried to move away from that I sometimes overreacted." He paused, looking down at Retsuko sadly; the red panda looking up at him with a newfound curiosity, learning a whole side she didn't realise existed. "Now, I love things like harder music and all that but when starting at my job I began meeting friends and hanging out with them, trading gossip, and then I realised I was doing it with a group of girls."

"What's the matter with that?" Skye asked.

"Because the whole sharing gossip thing is what us boy hyenas usually do… I mean, when I was a little cub my dad would be taking me out to shop, meet another father hyena he knew, and then they'd start talking! Wham! Whole morning, gone!"

"Sounds like my mother," Retsuko said, shivering quite a bit at her mention.

"And mine," Skye agreed.

Jack groaned. "I'm having a flashback!"

"Yeah," Haida replied, waving a paw up. "Us boy hyenas tend to be more like other species' females, so getting into a gossip group like that was natural, but it went against what I wanted. It felt off." He paused, laughing a little, before scratching the back of his head. "Heh… So, after I realised I was regressing, I originally thought that I'd cut all contact with that stuff. But then I thought, 'who cares!' Just do what you enjoy. I can be a big strong man, rock out when I want, and chat with a bunch of girls about feelings and gossip. So I returned to that group, and that's how I became a great friend with Fenneko, and with Retsuko here."

Skye nodded back, smiling before lightly slapping her head. "Thanks," she chuckled, shaking it slightly. "You know, that does sort of make me feel better there."

"Yeah," Retusko agreed, smiling. "Just do what makes you feel happy, what you feel okay doing."

"Four hours," Jack moaned.

There was an awkward silence as everyone turned to him.

"That was her longest record for a 'quick chat'. Booorrrriiinnggggg…" He made an exaggerated yawn, before looking up at Skye, wiggling in her lap.

Skye looked at him, then at the others, and paused. "Still," she said slowly, "all we really have is the fact that I like petting him, and he likes being petted. That doesn't really feel like enough for this kind of thing, does it?"

"Trust me," Retsuko butted in. "I've had experience, and having someone who doesn't do the whole physical affection thing gets really irritating really quickly."

"Huh…" Haida stuttered, looking down at her. "Is this about Whatsisface? -The not rich one."

"You mean Resasuke? Yeah…"

Haida couldn't help but smile slightly, his fists clenching and shaking a little with a pure unadulterated feeling of success. Retusko, meanwhile, looked up at Skye. "He was a nice guy as a person, we probably had a lot in common, but I made the mistake of pushing it too hard… That and he was pretty much on another planet the whole time. I ended up having to take a break from relationships for a while. As for Haida and me, well we've known each other for years, but it's only now that we've started learning more about each other…"

"So you're saying we should give it a chance, as we've got a nice thing going already?" Skye filled in, latching on.

"Yeah," Retsuko agreed. "Just be honest with each other, and maybe try not to take it so seriously at first. You two both have a thing going on that you enjoy. It might work out, it might not, but if it doesn't, is that really a bad thing? I had another relationship where a guy loved me, treated me very well, but it just didn't work out. I was sad, yes, but for what it's worth, I had a good time."

Skye nodded and paused, looking down at Jack. There was certainly an urge to pet him, just a little.

Or maybe a lot...

She smiled and patted him, watching as he lounged down into her lap, even putting his feet up on the table. In retaliation her tail came around and over, and her paw dug down beneath his shirt, stroking around his belly fur and earning a good deal of chittering in response. "This is the life," he moaned, grabbing the last of Skye's fries and chewing on them.

She should have been mad, yet she wasn't. It felt good to have a warm, furry, purry mass on her lap. "Maybe we can keep trying this out," she said, smiling. That sounded good.

Jack nodded. "Sounds good."

"What?" she smirked. "You being an emotional support bunny?"

"Ahem," he replied, before a deep scratch of hers sent one of his feet drumming into the air. He looked back at her, now extra serious. "I think you'll happen to find that I'm _your _emotional support bunny."

"Fine by me," she replied, sighing. "You know, we're quite different, aren't we? But I've never wanted anyone to look after me, or anyone who I can look after, but I do find I quite enjoy this arrangement, and I happen to think you're probably the same. So, maybe, we are a good fit for each other?"

Jack nodded in agreement. "What you said."

"Yeah," she replied, before looking up to the others. "Sorry for going all dumb and stupid there."

"No worries," Haida replied.

"None at all," Retsuko added, still sitting in his lap but brushing away his paw, wanting a break from his TLC.

"Thanks," Skye replied, shaking her head, realising how dumb she'd been. "I mean, I couldn't let myself down if I'd done a Nick to all you lot."

Haida blinked a few times. "Heh…"

"Nick, as in Nick Wilde?" Retsuko asked.

Skye nodded, a whole host of distasteful memories returning. "He seems to have changed," she clarified, "but when I first met him he was this dumb melodramatic paranoid idiot who figured everyone in the entire world was out to get all of foxkind because of a boo-boo or something he'd had, and that there was no point in trying to be anything. Instead, you should just prove them right by being sneaky and miserable and just moping about in your self-made misery, all while trying to bring others into the fold." She paused, glancing over at Jack's drink and having a little sip, knowing it wouldn't push her over the limit. "To the point where he'd often explain to me why my good grades and good chances and all that were a backstabbing waiting to happen, and that I and every other fox in the city should just give up."

"Hmmm," Haida noted. "Well, you weren't trying to knock us down, were you?"

"Yeah," Retsuko added. "You just weren't sure about your relationship."

"You're just a mammal trying to find their place in the world," Haida said, gesturing around. "I think we all are. This is what this thing is all about, after all."

For some reason, his words really resonated with her. They made her feel better and more confident that things would be good. Skye nodded and smiled. "Thanks for talking me through that. I should have been able to work it out myself, but here we are. Me, with a bunny that I must confess I'm quite fond of, having a fun time with two new friends."

"F-friends?" Retsuko asked.

"Yeah," Skye said, smiling. "Isn't that right Jack?"

…

"Jack?" she said, pausing her petting and nudging him.

"Uh… -Yes Skye?"

"Don't you think they're friends?"

"I don't see why not?" Jack said. "I mean, we talk, we enjoy each other. Sounds like friends." He shrugged. "I think we feel like friends!"

Haida couldn't help but nod, and then smile. "Maybe we could meet up again like this," he said, before his eyes widened. "We could do double dates."

"Yeah!" Skye agreed, Retsuko joining in.

Jack gave a smug look over at Haida and nodded. "You could plan the dates and such."

They hyena nodded firmly. "They are going to be fantastic and romantic!"

Retsuko looked between them all happily. "This sounds amazing!"

"It sounds magnificent!" Jack hammed up. "Spectacular and glorious!"

"Heh, calm it down there Mr Actor," Haida joked, bringing a proud chuckle from the bunny.

"I am an actor, Mr…"

"Accountant."

"Accountant," Retsuko added.

"Mechanic," Skye finished off.

"So, tell me," Retsuko asked, leaning forwards curiously and with a gleam in her eyes. "What are the details behind your first meeting and, more importantly, how did you deal with your bad boss?"

"Yeah," Haida said, leaning forwards. "We're thinking about leaving our one, and some of your ideas might be too good to pass up."

Jack looked at them both. "I'll only tell you my bad boss stories if you share yours."

The hyena and red panda looked at each other, then back at him. "We might be here a while," they said in perfect unison, leaving Jack wide eyed and blinking at the display.

"...That was amazing! Did you rehearse that?"

Retsuko was taken aback, and Haida broke down into a pair of cackles. "I wasn't expecting that reaction," he said.

"Why, what were you expecting?" Skye asked.

"Another story," he said. "It might take a while."

Jack shrugged, feeling happy where he was, and looking up he was pretty sure Skye felt the same way. "We've got all night," she said, settling down to pet her bunny.

All night they did have.

Stories were shared and laughter exchanged and, by the end of it, phone numbers were written down. The two couples departed, knowing they'd meet again, with Skye racing off in her car with Jack sitting by her side.

"I enjoyed that," he said.

"I…" she began, before blinking as a sudden shock rattled through her mind. Smiling, she turned to face Jack. "I've just realised you dumped all date planning activities onto Haida," she pointed out.

He shrugged. "What? He enjoys it?"

"And you don't?" she teased.

"A little," he defended. "But you don't punch a gift giving horse in the mouth, do you?"

"True that, though I'll have to offer to share the load with him" she replied, as she turned off into one of the windy back roads that went through the dune areas. Threading the gears, her feet dancing on the pedals, she looked to her side and noticed that Jack was enjoying this. "Hey, you like going fast?"

"I feel the need, the need for speed!" he said dramatically, as his body poised itself up.

"Now I know where that one came from, and I now know there's more things in common between us," she said, grinning. "How about we do a little detour, and have some fun?"

Giving her a wink, he shook his paw, pretended to spray all over his muzzle, and held his paw up in a fist. "WITNESS US!"

"WITNESS US!" Skye shouted in response, as her foot went down at they raced off into the distance.

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**AN: There's a difference between taking an existing character and exploring/ developing them with your own ideas (similar to what I did with Haida here), and doing it to a blank slate. At this stage, Jack and Skye, Skye especially, are like that, so when writing this oneshot I was still trying to get a feel for the characters. By and large, Jack is a mammal happy to take the path of least resistance, bar when his passions are involved. Skye, though… I had her penned as a very independent and self-reliant character previously, and there needed to be a way of making her bond with Jack. They are wildly different, and I don't want to do the 'head over heels' approach I've seen done elsewhere. As Haida said, in what I think is the best description of the themes of season 1 of this series, she's a character trying to find her place in the world.**

**But she's got her bunny to cuddle, and two new friends, to help her with that.**

**.**

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Far away, at a non-descript house, a car pulled up. The figure walking up to it carefully looked over his shoulders, one of his paws brushing past his holstered gun. Recent updates about their most important business had been marred by both good fortune and unfortunate setbacks.

The whole thing was about as slippery and fidgety as a certain weasel he'd dealt with in the past. Sadly, action towards their goal had to be far more covert, far more careful.

The city would naturally be on alert.

Aware of what was going on.

Flicking a light on, he looked up to see his partner in crime. "I'm sure you've heard the update."

The white figure in front of him nodded, before yelling out. "I HAVE, I HAVE, IT'S HAPPENING!"

Bracing from Eliot Fanghanel's shout, Chief Ramic nodded back, before yelling out too. "THE CITY WILL BE GRACED BY WILDEHOPPS! TODAY IS A GOOD DAY!"

They were both cut off by a slamming door from the side, as a very tired Chloe Fanghanel walked in. "Guys… It's…" she began, checking the time on her phone. "Tomorrow. Go to bed."

"But don't you see pumpkin?" her mate urged. "We have confirmation that Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps are staying the night in the former's flat. This is a major step forwards and…"

-PRONG…

The white wolf wobbled a bit, before collapsing into his wife's arms, the thylacine removing her fork from him and dragging him away. She gave a death glare to Chief Ramic, holding the utensil up and waving it for him to see, before closing the door. He took that as his cue to leave. Still, he was content. Why else would Nick and Judy be in the same place at the same time?

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…

"Carrot's," he whined. "It's… -tomorrow. We need to get you home."

"Just one last roll of recordings," she moaned, her eyes skipping over the sped up jam cam pictures, watching and waiting for anything that might be a clue.

"You know fluff," Nick moaned, sleepily standing by her. "This is why I think taking your work home with you is a slippery slope."

"I'd then stay in the precinct."

"Where Bogo could tell you to go home, and your work can't follow," Nick lectured. He reached down, gently touching Judy to move her on, only for her to shake her shoulder to throw him off.

"Nuuuhhhh…"

…

Rolling his eyes, Nick looked at her. Her ears had lost all structural integrity, almost hanging off the back of her head, while her tired eyes were wavering and dull. "Do you know that naughty Carrots's who don't want to go to bed get no bedtime stories?"

"But it's important," she moaned, pointing at the screen. "Gotta find the nighthowler thief. Make things right. Fix it all…"

"You'll miss anything actually useful at this rate," he pointed out.

"No I won't," she moaned, before pressing the pause button. "Look, I saw that bat."

"Right, and…" he began in response, only to pause. Coming in closer, his eyes widened, seeing a little thing above the top of the store. "Well I never. Serves me right to underestimate the bunninator. Then again, I am a dumb fox."

"And I'm a sly bunny…" she wearily boasted, trying to give him a playful punch on the shoulder but only producing a light touch.

"Ow, that's fox abuse," Nick replied back, as he recorded the timestamp on a piece of paper. "But now that you've found that we can get you back…" He trailed off as he saw Judy slumped in the seat, fast asleep and with her mouth agape. There was absolutely no way he could get her back to her place. Thankfully she was in her casual wear, having changed out of her duty gear when she got here, so he could put her to sleep in that… -And totally not picture her in her fox onesie instead, -stop that brain! Gently picking her up, he carried her into his tiny excuse for a spare bedroom, which had a bed she could sleep quite happily on. Down she went, covers over her, as Nick gave her a goodnight kiss on the forehead and headed off to rest as well.


	24. Taking out the Trash 1

**FFoZ S1E10**

**Taking out the Trash.**

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**Chapter 1**

**Plausible deniability**

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Judy was tired. Her head was groggy and the urge to creep back into the warm embrace of her bed was stronger than Hopps family carrot moonshine, almost dragging her back into the blissful world of sleep. With a weary acceptance though, she sadly realised that that wasn't going to happen.

There wasn't a cruel alarm beckoning, telling her to get up for her shift, though her job would be calling for her presence soon enough. There wasn't a scream of a nearby kit, or two rowdy neighbours backing and forthing, to keep her from rest, even though she'd left both behind. It wasn't even an urge to use the toilet.

It was just that Judy Hopps woke up at this time, her eyelids opened by the light of the sun as it filtered through the curtains, and her stubborn body clock was loath to let her slip back into a long slumber. She was a farm girl, an early bird by heart, and nothing could change that, not then and especially not now. Even her rather small lie ins, such as those which graced her first few years of university, were a long passed memory at this stage, regardless of how early or late she went to sleep the night before.

But, while her wake up time didn't care about when she went to bed, her temperament certainly did. Sliding out of her bed, foot paws on the floor, she gave a long yawn before looking around.

Her old room at the Grand Pangolin Arms looked positively spacious in comparison with this. Her bedroom in her new place was bigger than this too, and it took her a few seconds to realise that there was quite a bit off. She'd been in a short bed wedged between the two walls, beneath a window. The curtains and covers, the floors and walls, and pretty much everything else was just a little bit off.

It took her longer than she'd have liked to admit to remember that this was Nick's place. It explained why she was in her casual clothes and not her nightwear.

Still, things needed to be done, she needed to get ready. There was an hour before she'd have to leave, knowing Nick's schedule. She usually left her place after just a quarter of an hour, jogging to the precinct and showering there, before meeting up with Nick, the fox carrying some breakfast. Here, though, she could take that shower now, hopefully getting a bit of a wake up from it.

She found her work clothes roughly folded by her feet, a little note written on top. '_Got you into bed, Sleepy bun. Sweet dreams, your dumb fox.'_

"Aaaahhhh," she cooed, only for it to morph into a sort of yawn. Looking back down at it, she noticed that the area under the 'your' had been rubbed out, as if he'd written something and corrected it. "Hmmmm, you know that I could work out what it was," she teased, smiling a little at it. "I could just… uh… um... -Carrot sticks."

Her brow furrowed, and she picked up her clothes and went forth into Nick's apartment. Past the lounge and kitchen area, into the little entrance hallway, and then turning left into bathroom. Stripping off and turning the shower on, she glanced around as it warmed up, her gaze slowly resting on her reflection in the mirror. Her arms were over her body and her legs slightly crossed, trying to cover herself a little, while her ears had collapsed down the back of her head, ready to fall off were they not pinned in place. Her eyes looked the worst though, a dull red in them, while her eyelids hung low.

Not low like Nick's were when he carried his trademark smirk, though…

There was no energy behind them, and they wavered up and down as the siren calls of the day and night drew them back and forth. It looked to Judy as if she'd been tranq'd, about to fall off to rest yet never going, instead just waiting there. Looking. Dull eyes staring out. Sleepy eyes, like another pair she knew. Hurt eyes… Betrayed eyes… Scared eyes, with everything behind them smashed into pieces and...

Judy broke it off, pushing herself into the shower and closing the door, feeling the jets of water press down into her fur. Holding the shower head below her, she forced the streams up and through her fur, letting them percolate to her skin, slowly bringing her around. The sheets of the night were pulling back, thrown off as she began rubbing herself down with Nick's budget shampoo. After a cleansing rinse of the showerhead the suds and dirt were gone, down the drain. Paws cleared her eyes, and she savoured the beating massage of the shower on the nape of her neck before she finally broke it off.

Out of the shower.

Into the fur dryer, blasting hot air around her in a ring which she pulled up, over her head, before returning down to the floor. She was clean, she was dry, and the hard edge of her tiredness had gone.

But still she stood there.

One paw fussed the other one as she thought back. Coming up with vague ideas of new things to say, new ways to make it work out, better things to do to help that escaped mental patient.

That had been a scary moment, and it hadn't been that long ago, but she guessed she was okay.

Yes, she was fine.

That couldn't really be said for the one she'd managed to hurt though, who she could have done better for. It wasn't the first time, either. First with the press conference, then this.

She could do better.

She had to do better.

She would do better!

And that meant that she was okay. She was good. She was excellent.

That honey badger might have been fearing the nighthowlers coming back, but Judy had a lead! Her hard work, her time spent, her videos watched… She had to work harder and she'd been starting with that, and it had worked! She could go in today, show off the thing she'd found, and make the world a better place! Maybe she'd even be able to try and make it up to that badger, though she doubted it. Moving to the fur dryer door, she reminded herself that she didn't really deserve her forgiveness after what she'd done to her. She…

The jolt of the bathroom door opening caused her to freeze, and she nervously looked on as a tired looking Nick, naked bar his boxer shorts, slumped in. His mouth open in a wide vulpine yawn, he went straight for the toilet, lifting up both the lid and the seat. Judy could only retreat into a corner, suddenly wide awake but _really_ not liking it. She looked on, too mortified to speak, as Nick lowered his boxers and…

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He was suddenly very awake too, just like Judy, and as equally horrified. His legs kicked out like he was in a cartoon as he tried to find traction, and he rammed himself against the wall, shielding his eyes as he looked away. "I'm-sorry-I'm-sorry-I'm…"

"Nick, it was my fault!" she blurted out, jumping out of the dryer, grabbing a towel to wrap around herself as she exited. "I forgot to lock the door, I…"

"I'm-sorry-I-didn't-mean-to-be-a-creep…"

"It's your bathroom. I shouldn't be here…"

"-Please-don't-be-mad-please..."

"It's my fault, I'm just a dumb bunny."

"-don't-hate-me-please... Please don't leave me. Please don't leave me…"

"I don't hate you Nick," she urged, before being forced to take a breather. He was taking one too, and managed to glance at her, relaxing greatly as he saw that she was modest. He'd been wound up like a fleeing animal, and was still poised to run, but he managed to look at her.

Her feet, admittedly, but those were still a part of her.

"Nick," she began, shying away a little. He was terrified, and it was her fault. She'd gone and hurt him, because she was careless, and she had to make this right. "Listen, I didn't lock the door, I didn't go home last night, it's not your fault, it's this dumb bunnies fault," she said, before pushing forwards and holding his paw.

"I…" he began, before giving an awkward cough. "No lock…"

"Huh?"

"The door has no lock, Judy," Nick pointed out, before relaxing. "So you're not a dumb bunny."

"No," she said, sighing with relief. She even managed to smile a bit from the silliness of it all. "I'm not a dumb bunny," she said, fudging the truth for his sake. After all, she still managed to hurt those other mammals, and Nick most of all. "I'm not mad at you either. I'll just…"

"Leave the bathroom," Nick suggested, tersely.

"Yup," she replied, grabbing her clothes. She paused though, looking back at him. "But I'm not going to leave my best friend and partner, I can promise you that." She meant it, she'd driven him away once before, and she wasn't going to repeat the same mistake ever again.

"Why Carrots," he said, his features softening before he slowly smirked. "I'm truly touched."

She smiled back at him. "Well, I just wanted to make sure you're all good."

"Right as rain," he replied, his signature Wilde charm returning. There was a minor pause, before he carried on. "And how's the beautiful bunny beside me?"

"About the same as the handsome fox in front of me."

He blinked a few times, a sly grin growing on his muzzle. "Why I'm touched," he said, the grin growing further as Judy smiled some more. "Does a certain bunny like the look of a foxer in his boxers?" he teased.

Judy burst out laughing, doubling down again as Nick showed himself off in a few strong mammal poses. She watched him pose, and she looked on at the base of his tail as he bent over away from her, the black fabric covering his rear going tense over his body. "A certain bunny rather does," she replied, as Nick glanced over at her. A faint look of shock seemed to flash over his face and it pulled Judy back. For a second, she saw a different set of eyes instead of his, but it and any guilt were quickly swept away.

"A certain bunny has good taste," Nick said slyly, before pausing. "And a certain foxer in his boxers wants to just double check that a certain bunny is okay. Is she?"

Judy Hopps looked back at him, remembering the guilt she was due. The mammals she'd hurt, and the work she still needed to do to make it right. "Absolutely," she replied, giving him a quick salute. "One-hundred percent."

And, so, she left. She could get changed while he showered, and then maybe get him a coffee and a treat. After all, she needed to make it up to her friend after embarrassing him like that.

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It wasn't much later that Nick came walking back through again, returning to his bedroom to get changed. Judy looked over at him and smiled, keeping an eye on him as he sauntered across the room in his boxer shorts, his tail wagging slightly as their eyes met for a brief second or two. He gave her a wink as he retreated into his room, and she carried on getting things ready, his image still lingering in her mind.

It was probably nothing…

By the time Nick was out, two coffees were laid out, along with some bread and jam. He looked at it for a few seconds before slipping down into his chair. "I thought I was the host here," he teased, taking a sip of his drink. He paused though as he noticed what Judy was having. "I thought you usually had tea?"

"Well today I'm having coffee."

"Isn't that stuff not so good for bunnies?"

"Well, it kind of is," Judy said, as she drank a little. "But this won't harm me, and I need a pickup."

"Yes," Nick noted, a dark tone entering his voice. "After last night."

"After last night, when we found a lead!" She said excitedly. She'd been too tired to celebrate it then, but boy was she excited now. Taking her drink and some food, she couldn't help but rush over to her computer and boot it up. Long nights of sifting through, trying to find the start of the breadcrumb tail, and she'd finally done it! Checking through the timestamp she recorded, she tracked down the right time on the right camera and jumped up with joy. There it was, a little smudge flying up in the top corner of the screen, unclear and out of focus. But it was still a bat, and it was carrying something.

"Is it as glorious as you imagined?" Nick asked, slipping down beside her. Judy couldn't help but roll her eyes at his antics, and then nod in agreement.

"Given all I need to do, it is," she said. "We're going to push forwards and shut these thieves down." She made sure to take some more screenshots and timestamps, ready to take it all in. She slipped off her chair, only to pause, feeling a pair of eyes silently focussing on her. Turning around, she looked at Nick, the fox looking back with a critical eye. "What?"

"-do you mean by 'all I need to do'?" he asked, "for that is the million buck question!"

Her mouth hung open for a second, before she shrugged it off. "It's just I've got to help figure all this out and end it," she justified, walking off. She halted though as Nick moved himself in front of her.

"Carrots," he began, slowly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, Nick…" She was. She knew what she had to do and she knew she could do it.

"Judy, are you really?"

"Yes…"

Nodding, Nick let her past thinking for a few seconds before speaking. "You know, Dr Twirly tail…"

"Is that what you call your therapist now?"

"Is Dr Amy Lupuleli's nickname that now? Yes, yes it is. Anyway, she recently emailed me, asking if I wanted to help with a new patient. She didn't give many details, but apparently she hero worshipped both of us after what we did in the nighthowler plot." He held himself for a few seconds, letting it sink in. The cogs in Judy's mind had already finished turning when he spoke again. "I'm just worried about you after what happened with that honey badger," he said. "I know you can take down rhinos, but those mean mustelids can send them running back to their mothers like calves…" He paused, his finger up mid-lecture, before it and the rest of him slumped down. He walked up to Judy, looming over her almost like her father used to do when she was confused, upset and needing to talk, and then just like him he lowered himself down to look into her eyes. "If you need to talk…"

"I'm a bit shaken. It's still early. But I think I'm good Nick," Judy said, before giving him a light punch on the shoulder. "Now come on, let's go and make the world a better place!"

"There we go! Classical Carrots, and about time."

"With standard Slick too," she said, Nick suddenly amazed.

"Did you just do a Nick tease back at me?"

"Did I do a Nick tease back? Yes, yes I did."

"And the apprentice becomes the master!"

"You know it," he said, as he returned to his breakfast.

Judy nodded, before looking up to him, her ears rising up with a feeling of hope. "Did you say yes, to your therapist?" He nodded, and she felt even better. "Could I come…? -To apologise…"

She didn't expect it to be accepted, but she had to try. If she would just be chewed out, she'd just be chewed out. She crossed her fingers as Nick swallowed his food.

"Sure," he replied, "though Dr T-T says it'll be a while now… -you can probably guess why, and she may not want to see us anymore."

Her ears slipped down. "Oh…"

"But she'll be in good paws," he said. "I mean, Dr Tic-Tac is almost done with getting me up to an acceptable standard!"

"Almost…?" she teased.

He shrugged. "Well, I…" He paused, his mouth moving about a few times and his ears pulling back a bit. Glancing away, he shrugged. "I'll try and have it all sorted after work," he said with a wink, as he finished off his food and went to clean his teeth. Judy went to sort herself out too and then, with their gear in their bags, they set off together to work.

By the time they got there, it was a flurry of activity. Mammals marched to and fro, orders were being spoken out, and Clawhauser immediately called them over.

"Where's the donut shortage, Spots?" Nick asked, walking up to him.

"It's nothing that bad," the cheetah urged. "In fact, it's something good! I can't say what, but the Chief is calling all paws on deck. He'll be making a big announcement in the bullpen."

"Aye-aye, captain Clawhauser," Nick saluted, as Judy, rolling her eyes, slipped in front of him.

"Do you know where detective Dawson and Dawson are?"

"In the Chief's office," he replied, as Judy leapt with joy. "Yes, perfect! Thanks Ben!"

Before he could reply, off she went, leaving Nick behind. "I'll just…" he began, pointing in her direction before heading off.

Judy, though, had already reached the office of the Chief and rapped on the door. He called in and she entered, Catano and the mice detectives waiting there for her. Papers and documents were spread out across his desk, and he looked up from them to her as Nick arrived by her side. "Chief!" They both saluted.

His face was blank for a few seconds, before a faint smile grew across his muzzle. "I should have expected you to turn up early today," he said gruffly, pausing as he glanced at Nick. "I still expect you to turn up hours late, but there we go… At ease."

"Now I certainly expected you to say that, Chief," Nick replied. Dave gave a slight chuckle, though Bogo just gave the fox his 'strike one' look.

"Yes," Judy began, "we came in early as we have news of vital importance."

"-Well you can tell me about that as soon as we've got our briefing from the detectives," he said, gesturing over to them. They nodded, before Basil leapt onto a large map.

"For too long, we've been confounded by the theft of these nighthowlers. Despite investigating the source of the theft, we have found no evidence of who took them. Why they took them? Where they went… Until now."

Judy's eyes widened. They'd found their own lead? She smiled, before stepping forwards. "Seems like we hit it at the same time," she said proudly, gathering the pairs attention. "Last night I found something on the jam cams. It's not much, but it should help set us on the path forwards."

Basil nodded. "Fantastic work, though sadly unneeded." He then turned back to the papers, Judy staring on blankly into the distance.

She'd just misheard that, hadn't she? Odd…

"What I think my husband was trying to articulate," Dave began, his paws fumbling with each other as he cautiously spoke. "Was that we took a different approach to researching this task and, while your effort is most certainly appreciated deeply… we… Well, ahem, we happen not to need it."

"Oh," Judy replied, still feeling a bit odd as she listened to the mice. They couldn't have found the source this early, couldn't they? No… Probably a false lead or not the whole thing or something. They could still use it, and her find, though, when they got on to the real deal. This was just just a preamble.

"I was struck with the task of finding out the use of these devilous plants," Basil was elaborating, as he pulled a list out. "And I presumed the most likely use was for the howler toxin. It's the largest threat in any case. Now, while the standard detective mind would try to look at the body of evidence, find the roots of the pyramid and build up, I realised that we could turn it on its head." There was a pause, and a chuckle. "Though not without help from my better half."

Davel couldn't help but feel a bit bashful from the attention. "It was merely a comment about my experience in the medical field. It was you who pieced it together."

"Gentlemen," Bogo commanded, "need I remind this _is _an office environment."

"Of course," Basil chirped, heading back to the list. "Working with the DA, we were able to negotiate with Doug Ramses for the formula used in return for an earlier parole option."

"Thankfully he was looking for this kind of convenient excuse to help out his friends," Nick added, before pausing as a bunch of eyes were turned onto him. "What?" he asked, with a shrug. "We all know he's a Bellwether crony. She promoted him over better candidates, he turned a blind eye to hate crimes during the savage scare while pursuing preds… The only reason he didn't cut their sentences before is because he needed a valid excuse to do so."

…

"Strike two, Wilde."

"Anyway," Judy said, turning back, before pausing in confusion. "That's not the case, right?"

Bogo looked down at her sadly. "Nothing could be firmly proven, but I think most mammals in the know feel that way… Still, he only has half a year left before his term is up, and we can kick him out. Anyway, back to the topic at paw."

"Yes, yes," Basil began, picking up again. "Quite simply, the serum is a whole mix of chemicals, themselves a mix of chemicals. We presumed that the bad guys would cover themselves by synthesising the primary chemicals from secondary ones, actions that required certain equipment. Thus, we searched for sales of these devices, finding several on the hot list being purchased at a similar time by a couple of different license holders. Looking forwards, the same ones were purchasing various chemicals that are all linked by the list! After doing an automatic search for several of the associated vehicles, we tracked them to this site! Basic checks with the cams, and a sweep by one of our best sniffers, confirmed it! These are our guys!"

"Indeed," Bogo replied. "We're ready to do the raid, the force is gearing up, and we need you two ready too!" He looked down at Judy, then at Nick. "Gear up, be ready for the ship out. We'll be hitting them hard and fast. Step to it!"

Both mammals saluted, before jogging out. Judy, integrated into TUSK due to her unique skills, would be on the front line. Facing them. Fighting them…

"Feeling ready for this, Carrots?" Nick asked.

Judy nodded. "Let's make the world a better place." She meant it. She really did. But she couldn't help but shake off a feeling in her mind. This wasn't the real deal by a long shot, was it? It wouldn't be that easy, would it? It might be a false flag, or a front… Then they'd be back to looking, researching, trying to get these terrible mammals in as soon as possible.

Using her find as part of it. As her find was important, right? She'd spent ages and ages trying to find it, long night after long night, had she not?

And that wouldn't have all been pointless.

It wouldn't. It wouldn't!

She kept telling that, as she and Nick suited up, and marched off to the briefing.

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**AN: While the very helpful Dancou Maryuu has proofed much of this series so far, I'd also like to thank the brilliant Ubernoner for looking through this and giving me a few pointers. The good people at the Zootopian Author's association also gave a helping hand.**


	25. Taking out the Trash 2

**Chapter 2**

**Righteous anger**

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A convoy of battleship grey ZPD SWAT trucks raced along the roads out of Savannah Central, hammering down on their target. The officers had already been briefed; they knew their goal, and they knew the plan. Judy felt nervous. She wasn't sure if it was their main bad guys who they'd be facing or not, but, either way, the ZPD was pulling out all the stops for whatever was in there.

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_"We've tracked the site down to a set of old warehouses on the southwest coast of the Rainforest District," Chief Bogo had explained, pointing at the pictures they had of it. "Our first mission is to collaborate with Precinct 4 to establish a rough perimeter, away from their view. If anyone tries to escape, P4 will be there to catch them. First, though, we clear the area of any civilians present. Understood?"_

_"Sir-yes-sir!"_

_._

Judy felt the truck grind to a halt, the jolt throwing her and the others around in their seats. She looked over her SWAT gear, a slightly more armoured version of her usual uniform, before glancing over at Nick. He was fidgeting with his helmet, being dressed in heavier combat gear. So was Catano, and most of the other forces, with the megafauna contingents having full on steel plating, shining in the glint of the sun. Grabbing their riot shields, they marched out the back and lined up like a legion of old. Standard officers from Precinct Four were already running about, pulling civilians away as fast as they could.

Judy heard a light pitter-patter as she felt warm water rain down on her; the sprinklers above them were on and misting down, the assembled forces wiping their visors and shivering slightly. The wind was coming from the direction of their target, from the sea, and a salty tang mixed in with the refreshing dampness of the rain.

Judy's ears rose as she heard a retching, while Nick's nose twinged slightly at an acrid smell. Looking over, they saw Catano throwing up onto the floor. Her ears down, her paw wiping her mouth, she looked down at Judy. "Don't judge."

"I'll reserve that for your Furballs," Nick joked, sending a wave of relief cutting through the tension. They were pulled back into shape though by the marching of hooves.

Bogo, racing in front of them, pulled his visor down and called out. "Standby! Attack planned in ten minutes! First antidote!"

The forces nodded, before pulling out their autoinjectors and pushing them into their wrists.

_._

_"With the high likelihood of refined Howler toxin being present, we have to be prepared," Bogo instructed, bringing out an injector. "One shot can counteract one pellet, while taking the edge off others. We can safely dose you up with one beforehand, though there's a small risk of adverse reactions. If you feel yourself getting hit after and approaching the edge, you can safely administer up to two more."_

_._

"Hopps, Wilde," the Chief ordered, waving them on. Marching with him, they cut through the roads, passing warehouses as they closed in to the site in question. The last of Precinct 4 was getting out, the last civilians being brought out with them.

"Chief Bogo! Chief Bogo!"

He halted, pausing as he spotted an elephant officer marching up to him, something curled up under his trunk. As he set it down, the trio all double took what it was.

It was a young vixen in a wheelchair, looking a bit shocked by it all.

"She says she saw stuff going on there," he said.

Bogo nodded, looking down. "Name?"

"L-Lydia Fox," she stuttered. "I came down here to birdwatch, and… well, I saw them stacking crates on the south side. By that red crane…"

Glancing down to Judy, the Chief nodded. "Take note," he said, before looking back at the elephant. "Get her out of here and get her statement."

Nodding, the elephant nodded, just as an antelope officer arrived. "Chief Bogo!"

Bogo looked at him, before slapping his own visor. Another fox, this one seemingly a blind beggar, was being escorted up to him.

"He says he could smell howlers wafting over. From near the chimney."

The cape buffalo snorted. "Just get them away, I don't think we'll need his input."

Nodding, the officers took the foxes away, even as he began to protest. "I'm only legally blind, if that's why you're ignoring me… I can make out the chimney…"

The cape buffalo disregarded him, before looking down to Wilde. "Get to your position," he ordered, before looking at Judy. "With me."

They took off together, the pieces slowly being laid out for the start of the game.

.

_Our site is built on an r-shaped quay, and holds an assortment of different buildings," the Chief had instructed. "Coming from the land side, up the vertical part of the 'r', there's a roadway on our right paw side and a mix of abandoned brick buildings, all connected together, on the left, including an old office tower." There was a pause, as everyone else took it in. "This one is codenamed 'T'", the Chief informed them as he went on. "Due to the lines of buildings on the waterfront, it doesn't give us the best view, but it's still of critical importance. The other tall points are a small red crane, 'SC' on the top left of the 'r', and a much bigger dock crane, 'BC', and chimney on the top right. Both likely to be under their command."_

_There was a pause, as Nick raised his paw. "Are there any other vantage points?"_

_"There's an abandoned cement kiln to the bottom right. It's further away, having many of the same limitations, but it's better than nothing. You'll be giving overwatch there while Officer Hopps scouts out the site."_

_._

Back against a wall, Bogo peered out. He could see the site in front of him, the various cranes, towers and buildings all arranged clearly. Most of the brickwork was patchy. Most of the windows were broken. Vines and trees clung on wherever they could, eating it all as they tried to consume it, seemingly hiding whatever was inside as they did so. The sound of marching came from behind him and, checking, he saw his backup preparing. Most of his officers were there, Catano included, though he sighed as he saw Wolfard begin to waver. Paws on his head, he wobbled about as he struggled with a migraine, the most common side effect of pre-doping with the formula. Radio out, he spoke in. "Wolfard, bad luck I'm afraid. Get to one of the Buses…"

He took a few seconds to register it, before looking up. "Thanks… Sir…" he moaned, before stumbling off and to the back. Clicking his radio over, Bogo spoke in. "Wilde?"

"In position," he said, hiding behind a panel on top of the nearby factory. He could see the rooves laid out, nice and empty. "Permission to toss the bun granted."

Were it not for the fact that he secretly needed that icebreaker, Bogo would have called strike three on Wilde. Instead, he let down his right hoof and let Judy climb onto it. Bogo then pulled his arm back, down over his shoulder and almost to the floor as his smallest officer wound up her legs. He then twisted his body and punched the arm out and forwards, Judy kicking herself off of it and out into the air.

She flew fast and true, thanks to both her strong lower legs and the chief's well honed shot-put throw, and swept over the nearest parapet. As she felt gravity pull back down on her, she curled into a ball before rolling onto the flat roof. As soon as her roll ended, she sprang to her feet, scanning her surroundings in case someone had heard her. Then, she scampered to the short wall and checked her gear, paws on her tranq guns. Heart beating, she began crawling forward, updating Bogo on her progress as she went.

Occasionally having to jump up and down where there was a slight change in roof lines, she quickly reached tower 'T' and brought out an army knife, using the screwdriver to undo a small vent.

She scanned with her ears, finding nothing near, before slipping in.

Tender pawed, her ears scanning around, she honed in on two ragged breaths below her and approached. Gingerly, step after step, she advanced, before pausing as she saw them. Two goats, both hugging the wall by the door and ready to defend. A quick look around showed no military-grade weapons, thankfully, but there were off market taser rifles and molotov cocktails.

Her dart gun came out, and both goats were swiftly rendered unconscious. "Tower 'T' clear," she relayed. "Two targets down, armed with non-lethals but with dangerous improv weapons." She paused, looking at them. "They were gearing up to defend the position sir," she said, as she came in closer. A chill ran down her as she saw some symbols, known to be used by Prey supremacists, and she felt the grip on her radio tighten. They'd been gearing up to fight her fellow officers,happy to burn them, and why? Because they still hated preds… They still wanted to use the howlers… They just wanted to repeat the past, the plans, the schemes that she'd stopped.

"Hopps?"

"Permission to move on?" she asked coldly.

"Permission granted."

Teeth gritted, she raced back up the stairs, back onto the roof, and onwards.

.

"_The northern waterfront is a mix of buildings," the Chief instructed. "Above tower 'T' we have a small courtyard with buildings opening onto it, with the tower providing strategic cover. Above them, on the other side, is the quayside, with small crane 'SC'. These buildings form the leftmost end of a continuous set, which runs along the entire horizontal part of the r, cutting off the northern quay. To their right is a large warehouse, providing a clear route from the shoreside to the quay. To the right, we have another courtyard, but on the quayside, with taller buildings opening onto it from the left and below. Big crane 'BC' is in the centre of this courtyard, and to its right there's another major warehouse, with the chimney in the far corner. Hopps will be scouting out to identify major areas of potential resistance. Wilde will cover."_

_._

_"_It's clear," Nick called, Judy taking it as her moment to advance. Racing across a mass of pipes, Judy reached the northern line of buildings, taking cover under a rusting water tank and scanning around with her ears.

The noise of the rainforest district, and the steady beat of her heart, were ringing out.

**Bu-Dum… Bu-Dum…**

A murmur of noises and shouts sailed across, almost carried by the wind. Her ears snapping into position, her nose twitching, she advanced tenderly. The main warehouse had a sloped roof with massive skylights, many long since cracked or shattered, the remainder stained and dusty.

**Bu-Dum… Bu-Dum…**

The voices got louder, and she picked up calls and shouts, orders and screams. Finding a place to peer over, she looked in, spotting prey mammals. All of them prey mammals, most of them the size of sheeps or goats, all of them rallying around a massive wildebeest, promising that they'd get to face off against pred scum and species traitors. That this would be a glorious battle. That the ZPD would pay for capturing Dawn Bellwether. That they'd become the true predators.

It felt like a gut punch to Judy, and she glared at them from up high, like she was watching bugs. "Sir," she whispered into the radio. "There's a large force assembling in the left warehouse. Prey supremacists. They know we're here."

**Bu-Dum… Bu-Dum…**

How… How could mammals like this still be here? After everything that had happened, after all they'd been through, how had they not learnt anything? They wanted to ruin lives; they belonged in a cell. Judy found herself reaching for her weapon. She could easily get a few from here were she given permission, though she knew to keep herself hidden until told not too.

"Hopps," Bogo called. "Scout the rest of the buildings and then get out of there!"

**Bu-Dum… Bu-Dum…**

"Can you repeat that, Sir?"

"They know we're here," he said. Back where he stood, he was clutching his head, his teeth grinding from the unexpected thorn in the side of the operation. This would usually be a disaster. Each of these missions hinged on the element of surprise, hung on the need to take on an enemy who didn't know they were coming. Shock and awe them before they had even a moment's chance to get ready, hitting them on the back paw and knocking them down.

They knew he was coming though, so he wasn't going to play their game. "A day, a week, a month," he said. "We lay siege to them and starve them out. They're not going anywhere."

Indeed, a frontal attack now would be crazy. They didn't have the right gear or set up. At least not enough for him to order it in good faith.

Up on the roof, Judy nodded. Her heart still beat madly.

**Bu-Dum… Bu-Dum…**

She moved away and slipped down the roof. "Understood, sir," she said, feeling a hint of relief. They wouldn't get their satisfaction. They wouldn't be the martyrs they wanted to be. They'd sit here and get starved out.

"See anything Nick?"

"Negatory, the buildings are blocking the quay. I can nab any escaping boats though."

"Okay, just keep an eye out for anything."

"Will do!" he said, as Judy charged forwards. Racing across and over the warehouse, she passed beneath the shadow of the larger crane, a massive thing painted marine grey and speckled with rust. Below were other mammals getting ready. Judy paused as she saw some of them taking carts filled with barrels into the final warehouse, the one with the chimney. Racing over, vaulting over walls, climbing up pipes and sliding through gaps, she found a worn plastic vent in a wall and tore it out. Looking in, she gasped. At the base of a chimney was a furnace, and in it they were piling up wood, fuel and night howlers. Not just the plants, but vats full of purple chemicals, which were handled tenderly before being thrown on.

This must have been the real deal then. This must have been what they were planning all along! They'd found them, and now they were planning to go out in a blaze of terrible glory. Judy relayed what she saw out to Bogo, fear and fury rising in her voice. She was ordered to go back to the warehouse with the gantry crane and give them an overview.

Outside, Bogo looked on gravely. The other officers could tell. A slight tremble in his paw, he held his radio up. "Clawhauser. Order the climate works to turn the rain on in the rainforest! We might have a cloud of howler gas and who knows what waft in there, so this could stop it."

Hearing an affirmative from him, Bogo grabbed his shield and marched out in front of his troops. By all rights he shouldn't be doing this. A full frontal attack against an enemy waiting for them would need far more resources before he'd usually sign it off. But they were forcing his paw here. The gas might turn half the district savage or be harmless but they didn't have the time to find out. They had to attack now, to serve and protect.

"OFFICERS! The mammals in there are about to try and gas us. Gas civilians. They're willing to stand by as they cause death." His nostrils flared, and he raised his shield high. "LET'S TELL THEM WHAT WE THINK OF THAT!"

A chorus of screams came out and Bogo faced his foes. His feet poised, he held his shield up and gave the inside a few hard beats, an act followed by the rest of his troops as they got into position. They lined up behind him, and he felt a red rage in him as he and the others beat their shields once more. The deep bass ringing sounded out, and he knew from experience that every mammal facing him would be having second thoughts. Intimidation may be for riot control, not Swat raids like this, but they'd escalated this to war.

They knew the ZPD were here, they were ready for this fight, and Bogo was going to make them regret that. His forces began charging forwards, shields in a line, weapons at the ready, as a ragtag bunch of defenders came out to meet them.

"Hold the plan off till we get them!" He ordered, looking forwards and smiling. This was all too easy.

.

_"We'll be splitting into two," Bogo said, gesturing to the building plans. "I'll lead group A into the buildings here and tower 'T', putting us in a position to cover the western courtyard and the entry and exit to the quayside. Team B, led by McHorn, will strike into this warehouse here in a tortuga formation. The front lines will be armed with megafauna with shields and stun sticks. Their job is to knock the enemies out and pass them back to the rear-guard, smaller mammals armed with cuffs and tranqs who will then neutralise them._

_._

The goats and sheep had barely lined up and formed a mob when the surging wall of plastic shields came down on them hard. A few mammals at the back managed to throw molotovs, or shoot forwards with an off market tranq, tazer or an air rifle. They bounced harmlessly off of Bogo's shield, the cape buffalo raising his up to catch a firebomb before snapping it down, ready to make contact. With a crunch, the first few lines of enemies were forced into each other, pushed off their feet and crushed into their comrades. As the megafauna forces momentum was burned out Bogo then tipped his shield down, folding them over and exposing them to his stun stick. Those not totally dazed immediately suddenly were left stuck on the ground before being stepped over. Holding a tazer, one of the sheep stuck on the top of the pile turned and aimed it at Bogo's calf. He could hit the hamstring or Achilles heel, then…

A heavy hit knocked the weapon out of his paws, and he was forced down as a cheetah cuffed him.

Breathing heavily, Catano pulled him back before dealing with the next two.

There was no time to read them their rights, that would come later. Instead she pushed forwards, ready to see Bogo facing off against an angry zebra. Unlike the others, he seemed to be more of a threat, but the chief pushed forwards and down, diving his shield beneath him. Cutting into his legs, he drove forwards and up, tearing the mammal off the floor and throwing him over his shoulder. He landed on his head and sprawled onto the floor, where Catano quickly tranqed him and cuffed him with zip ties. He still writhed though, but it was dying away as the drugs got to work.

Catano wanted to keep an eye on him, only for a strange whistling sound to distract her. There was a yell, one of the leading hippos screaming as a rod of rebar cut into his arm, before the sound of a shattering shield came from the other side of the formation. A similar iron rod had pierced through the shield of a rhino, though his steel plating thankfully bent it away from his heart.

"Top right!" Bogo called, and she turned to see some mammals leaning out of a window overlooking the quay. They were holding improvised weapons, already reloading them. As they aimed their weapons and she hers, the roar of an engine beckoned through the air, a frantic call coming over the radio.

"They're pulling out a truck!" Judy cried from her vantage point. "I repeat, they're pulling out a truck!"

Staring forwards, Catano felt a sudden dreadful calm as the thing lumbered out of the large warehouse and began racing forwards.

And then she heard the gunshot.

.

_"What is it, Wolfard?" Bogo looked at the wolf, one of his best trackers, not sure what he had failed to cover. He thought he had hit everything._

_"Are we only going up against these guys with Tranq's?"_

_Bogo blinked a few times. "Like we usually do, yes. Now do you want to ask me something else, like should you wash your paws after using the toilet?"_

_"He has a point," another officer said. "These might be the same guys who supported Bellwether. They might be far worse than our usual lot. They might have lethals. Shouldn't we have lethals?"_

_Bogo paused, thinking. "Firstly, cases of lethals in the city remain very low, black market non-lethals or improvised weapons such as harpoons or crossbows are far more likely. As for us using lethals, that would require clearance from the mayor. Regardless, as well as your standard issue weapons, you'll be armed with tranq-blanks, as is standard for such operations as these."_

_"But they're still only tranq's," one of the officers said. A general murmur of agreement rang out, and Bogo pulled out a magazine and one of the weapons in question to show them. "Rubber bullet with an inbuilt tranq needle. The impact causes enough pain to incapacitate until the drugs take over. Fired from a high velocity gun like a sniper and at a small enough mammal, they can be decidedly lethal."_

_He paused, looking at them all._

_"May I ask how many of you have been shot by these? Paws up."_

_He raised his hoof, as did a few other mammals._

_"Paws down if you don't think they're sufficient."_

_They all remained up._

_._

She flinched as the window of the truck shattered, before another shot rang out. The vehicle's gears crunched before the engine calmed down, the whole thing coasting along until Francine and Trunkaby met it with their two shoulders. The two Elephants groaned and strained but brought it to a halt, before one of them tore off the door and hauled out the driver, the mammal having been caught in the middle of a gear change. Catano sighed with relief, only for her ears to rise with the sound of Francine's scream. A spear of metal had caught her shoulder, but she'd survive.

That didn't matter to the cheetah though. She brought out her handgun, loaded with the special rounds, and fired it at the exposed mammals. With most of the knocked out mammals cuffed, plenty of other smaller mammals joined her, the walls around the attackers were spitting and sparking as their rounds hit. They got two of the mammals, but she was certain another one had been able to get to cover.

A loud bang rang out, signalling that he'd been taken care of. Out came her radio, Catano smiling as she called in.

"Good job, Wilde!"

"As always," he replied, giving her a sly little salute from afar.

She rolled her eyes, before turning to Bogo as he called out. "Restart the original plan. Form your teams."

He waved his crew off to take tower 'T', while she and their others formed their Tortuga formation. Riot shields around and above her and the other smaller mammals, they marched into the large warehouse. Through the cracks and corners, she could see bits and pieces of the structure, pausing as she saw Judy up above. She had to move on though, keeping up with the advance.

On the roof, the bunny watched them push forwards. Alongside the alcove the truck had come from, there were one or two small ones just like it, plus a few staff areas. All had quickly been checked and cleared, the whole force pushing beneath the warehouse's gantry crane and out the other side. A few runners checked the buildings to their left, but none had any exits onto the quay, so they were all clear for an advance towards the large crane, the chimney and the fire.

Judy bent over, taking a breather.

They'd crushed them.

Bogo had secured the landside buildings and tower 'T', she could see a few snipers get up it already. They just had to get to the bonfire and halt it.

She heard a slight tick, her blood running cold.

Two sharp bangs rang out and the whole building shook, almost sending her to her feet while a cloud of dust erupted up around her.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" Bogo screamed as Judy raced toward the cloud. Looking into the warehouse, she gulped, spotting the gantry crane collapsed on the floor. Two small charges had blasted it from its rails and sent it tumbling down in front of the quayside exit.

The second squad was stuck there and as a set of scream rang out she raced forward to see a well armoured set of larger mammals race out. Darts and bullets simply impacted the thick metal plated clothing that they wore and they pushed forward regardless, tossing molotovs and wielding long sharpenned bits of scaffold in front of them.

It had been a trap.

All of it.

They'd lured them in and caught them here, making them think it was a won battle while luring them into a corner.

There was nothing the ZPD forces could do but retreat, taking step after step back. They'd go back until they reached the small crane and were then thrown into the water.

Judy's blood ran cold, before it lit like a fire. This wasn't going to save them! They'd still be trapped. They had no hope, no chance, but they were happy to try and lure and kill her friends!

She pulled out her radio, but backed off as she heard the chaotic chatter coming out of it.

Instead, she grabbed her dart gun, raced over to above them, and looked down. She saw a good sized gap in one of the attackers pieces of armour and fired, hitting it dead on. He stumbled and fell and she aimed again. It was a lost battle though, they were forcing the cops back…

And then her phone rang.

More specifically, it rung with the tone reserved for Bogo. Pulling back and down, she answered.

"What's going on!?"

She quickly recounted everything that had happened, the Chief quiet throughout.

"How long do we have left?"

She looked over, they were close to the edge.

"Less than a minute, they…"

"-Are they past the yellow brick building?" he asked.

She blinked a bit, not sure what this was about, before she quickly answered. "Yes."

"Right," he said briefly, before cutting off. On the other side, he was rallying his forces, an odd and terrible sense of calm hanging over him. He'd ordered his mammals to charge in, he didn't regret it. They had to stop those howlers getting burned, the risk that they might be dangerous was too great to even risk the delay from conforming if they truly were. But he was still the one who let his mammals go in, he was still the one who put them in peril, and if that was the case he'd damn well be the one to get them out.

He gathered his forces, marching into an empty shell of a building, the last bits of yellow paint flaking off of its concrete frame. Ahead of them was a breezeblock wall, sealing them off from the quayside.

He turned back, racing away, before joining the rest of his larger officers. Together, they put their hands on the truck and charged, pushing it backwards faster and faster, before thrusting the trailer hitch through the base of the wall, shattering it. The whole thing began to crack and tumble, before the back of the cab swept it away regardless.

He looked back to the rest of his forces and charged through the breach.

.

Catano was scared. They were cut off, they were being forced back. It wouldn't be long now before they were in the water, sitting ducks.

And then she flinched down as a wall behind the enemies exploded, the front cab of a truck raced out in reverse before crashing and sinking into the deep water. The attackers distracted, she and the others retreated slightly, falling back and letting those at the front reform their shield wall. Bogo's forces crashed into the rear of the enemies before they could turn around and started pushing them forwards, while those in front of her were already keeping them from advancing.

Up above, Judy saw the vice like grip close, and the bad guys get the squeeze. Already some were stumbling out and crashing into the water, and she felt herself cheer as they clawed back victory.

Then a gunshot came, and she flinched as she saw one of the hippos fall, clutching his leg. Turning up, she gasped as she saw a sheep up on the big crane, her trembling paw grabbing her sidearm as she looked at him. No… He wasn't going to do this. They weren't going to win! She didn't have much of a chance at hitting him, but she could make him scared, emptying her non-lethal rounds against his lethal ones as she scurried over to the nearest wall, sheltering behind it as he shot back. She couldn't help but _eeep _a little, tensing up, but keeping control of herself she grabbed her radio. "Sniper on Big crane! Sniper on Big crane!"

"Got him in my…" one of the snipers on 'T' was responding, only to be cut off by another shot at her position

"CARROTS!"

"I'm fine Nick," she panted, flinching as a shot was fired from 'T' and up at the crane. She couldn't look but she could hear, and she heard him curse before the echoing sound of hoofbeats on metal rang out. He was trying to find a place where the sniper on 'T' couldn't reach him.

From afar, Nick smiled as he landed in a place where he could. The shot was tricky though, really not helped by the mist from the rainforest sprinklers. The target was blurry through his sight, and he tried to take his time, making sure to line up the shot.

Only the sheep raised his gun, ready to fire again, forcing Nick to go first.

The sheep flinched, hard, and Nick held his breath thinking he'd got it, only to freeze as the mammal recovered. He'd clipped his side. Painful, for sure, but the tranq didn't go in. Now the sniper was hunting for him too.

Nick made sure to hide himself even further behind the metal sheet that was covering him, trying to line up again as the sheep moved about.

Into a position where Nick couldn't see him, but where he could see the troops on the ground.

"Judy?" he asked, his throat feeling like it was being strangled with worry. He didn't want to risk this, he really didn't, but…

If there was any mammal that he could bet on getting out of this alive, it was her.

"Yes Nick?"

"Make him do the funny dance," he ordered.

Back under her cover, Judy nodded. "Yes Slick!" Up she hopped, firing a few more rounds off, right at the sniper. Nick watched him jump up and fired, the predatory grin on his face getting wiped out as the sheep turned, the fox's bullet ricocheting off his gun. "Dammit!" He hissed, lining up the next shot as the mammal fled. Fled from him, fled from Judy, finding a spot and turning to face him and…

The sheep jolted, gripping his arm, his face writhing with pain as he slumped down, the drowsiness beginning to take him.

"Thanks for flushing him out Carrots and Slick," the sniper from 'T' chirped.

"Our pleasure," Nick began happily, only for that expression to melt from his face.

Radio off, his ears drooped. "They know I call her Carrots," he said. There was a pause, before he shook it off. "I can spin this!" He said, his voice only betraying a slight bit of worry.

Back on the roof though, Judy was racing forward. "If you ever need any help, Carrots and Slick are the ones to call!" she chirped, before reaching the edge of the roof and peering over. The criminals had been defeated; they were on the ground or in the water while Bogo had rallied the rest of his forces into a hard packed shield wall that was advancing fast. They'd soon break into the courtyard, ready to break over to the chimney and furnace.

They'd done it. They'd won! The bad guys were spent! Gone! Defeated! They were…

Her train of thought was cut off as a roar bellowed out and, looking down, she saw the massive wildebeest she'd seen early marching forwards, anger in his eyes. He wasn't rallying weak troops anymore, he was wrapped up in thick armour, and held military grade weapons in his paws. He was going to lose to the ZPD, but make them pay for it. Shaking, gritting her teeth, she looked down and saw a small chink in his armor; a small gap at the back of his head, the skin showing. It was far too thin to be sure of hitting it with a dart, so she'd get up and personal. Tearing them out of her reserve dart gun, she stared at him as he raised his weapon, ready to kill. "Oh no you don't," she screamed, leaping into the air. She sailed down fast, screaming as she went and with darts in her paws, swooping down his back, planting them into position, before landing on the floor.

She touched down, taking a breather, as he collapsed to his knees in front of her. The forces were marching past to seal the win.

It was over.

Now they had won.


	26. Taking out the Trash 3

**Faustian bargains.**

.

.

"Kazar Longhorn?"

There was a long silence, the wildebeest staying his tongue as Detective Oates stared him down. The mammal who'd led his own army against the ZPD just stood there, stewing in his defeat or simmering with rage.

From behind the two-way mirror, Judy and the rest of her cohort looked on.

It had been a long day for them, with both the raid on the mammals' compound and dealing with all those caught. With most still lingering in custody, the Chief wanted to strike on their leader while the iron was still white hot.

So there he sat, chained and cuffed, the great cape buffalo and his officers looking on in anticipation, invisible to him.

…

"That is my name," he said.

Simmering anger, most definitely.

Across from him, Oates nodded and carried on. "Multiple priors for small petty crime, with one small sentence served. Noted for activity in street gangs, and a loud voice calling for formations of vigilante groups during the nighthowler crisis. Led protests before and after Bellwether's fall, claiming that it was a pred conspiracy that framed her. Continued campaigning after her fall, though things petered out. Quiet for the last year, though I do believe that we found out what you were working on during that time."

"Objection." It was his lawyer speaking out, a bespectacled gemsbok who seemed even more inexpressive than his client had been. "I don't see what my client's past life has to do with this. He…"

From behind the window, the group of mammals looked on. Nick and Judy, Catano and Basil, and Bogo at the back. The bunny looked up at her partner. "Any idea what that lawyer is feeling?" she asked. She knew that he had to act in his client's best interests, but still…

"Oh, that's the 'I shoud've been an accountant' look if I've ever seen it," Nick replied.

"Good," Catano piped up. "If more mammals could see him for what he is…" She trailed off, implying her statement, just as the charges proper were read out.

"-Breaking of firearm laws, attempted murder of police officers, terrorism, multiple violations of the nighthowler act." The horse pause and stood up, looming over his prey. While not especially involved in the case, he was a talented interviewer, and his size meant he could play a bad cop to their beast of a perp. "If you were trying to be worse than Dawn Bellwether…"

He glanced away, and Oates pounced.

"Oh, is that anger? Admiration? Guilt…"

Kazar turned forwards, his teeth grinding, his chest rising and falling with deep breath after deep breath…

And he turned to his lawyer.

On the other side there was a creak as Bogo walked up, glancing down at Basil. "Nothing yet."

"Indeed, indeed," the mouse mused. "Shall we try the good cop now?"

"Think it'll do anything?"

"He's a mammal backed into a corner! Defeated! No reason to talk with us. But give him a sliver of hope, the chance of being free again in the future, and we might just crack him!"

Kazar and his lawyer finished talking, both turning to Oates. "My client's political leanings are his personal business, and even if true I'd rather you don't imply things from them…"

Snorting with derision, the great horse gave the suspect an excrement eating grin. "Firstly, I'm going to imply what I like…"

The crew behind the mirror looked on as he gave his verbal lashing, eyes and ears pricked for anything. At least until Catano spoke, looking down at Basil.

"He doesn't deserve it."

Basil paused, looking up at her. "I presume that's in regard to a plea deal, or so forth."

She nodded, before speaking frankly, turning back to look at him. "His paws were dirty. Filthy… Only a fool would deny it. He shouldn't get any mercy for what he did, what he wanted to do…" She trailed off, her face hardening. "If you're in with bad stuff, you should be called out on it all and given the full force of the law." She paused, her tail flicking this way and that a little. "At least Oates is giving him every ounce of painful honesty he deserves in the meantime."

"You are a crook and a monster," Oates tiraded on, spittle flowing from his mouth as he shouted. "Supporting hatred against preds even after the truth about the savage crisis was revealed…"

"Understandable, emotional," Basil said, holding his finger up to the big cat as he explained. "But there's always the bigger picture!"

"-and when you were surrounded, you chose to try to murder members of the ZPD in a bloody last stand, all while trying to poison our city. Fun thing though, while we had many injuries there were no casualties. You offered a tough drill for us, nothing more. Even your nighthowler gas was a failure. Had the heat got up, it would break apart the chemicals that caused the effect."

"Well," Bogo commented, "we'll know for next time." A call to the city lab had cleared that up, much to his relief. He'd not had the time to risk contacting them before the raid, having to charge in. But he knew for next time, and felt better about today.

The fact that none of his officers really suffered helped. Had he lost any of them because of his 'wrong' call…

Well, he didn't like to think much about that.

He did have feelings though. "I know the practicalities," he said, glancing down at Basil, before looking over at Catano. "But I want the whole library thrown at him."

Nick smiled. "I may have a good supply of extra bricks that you could sneak into there while throwing."

"-And you will rot in jail forever. The most secure cell, the strictest routine, the harshest environment." There was a pause from Oates, a well manufactured sadistic smile growing on his face. "Of course, with so many very aggressive mammals there, all with nothing to lose and a hatred of anyone involved with the purple stuff?" The horse trailed off, relaxing back in a smile that Nick would give eleven smugs out of ten.

"Right," Basil said, pouncing to their shared microphone. "Enter the good cop."

There was a slight cough to Oates' left as Dave Dawson spoke out. "I do believe though that there might be a little chance for us to work together. You might be feeling worried now, what with all that's going on and never being free again… But! With a little help in finding out who was helping you, and…"

"-If I did this, who says I needed help?" Kazar asked, leaning forwards.

Back in the observation room, everyone was on tenterhooks. "He's prideful," Judy stated. "I think…"

"Excellent observation, Fluff," Nick teased.

"But we can use that? Can't we? Or will it make it harder?"

"Whatever, whatever, we'll push through!" Basil said.

"Well," Dave calmly explained. "You'd need an intelligent mammal to help you find the right formula, to set up the manufacturing machines, to help organise the complex logistics of gathering the plants themselves…"

"Or I might have done that myself," he said with a shrug. "I am not to be underestimated."

"But presuming you did have help… A supplier, a sympathiser, maybe a secret assistant on the old howler plot. If you were to lead us to them, we could happily take years off your sentence. Down from life to thirty to forty years, maybe less!"

"Speak for yourself," Catano muttered. Judy noticed Bogo looking at her with sympathy, while Basil snapped back to her.

"Punishment isn't the aim of this. If we can get the truth, that's far more important," he said proudly, as Kazar waved off Dave's offer. The mouse on their side of the glass spotted it, but returned to the cheetah. "Once he's caught like this, he's out of the game whatever happens, but if there's still mammals like him out there…" He paused, before grabbing the microphone again. "Try leading with how the original plotters are doing in jail?"

Judy couldn't help but recognise Dave's eyeroll as the same one her father gave on the many occasions where her mother reminded him of something that he'd said he'd do but not gotten around to yet. The mouse shook it off though and looked forward with the exact homely look that had won him the title of 'good cop' for this interview in the first place.

"-If there's more like him out there," Basil continued, returning to Catano. "Then I'm more than happy to extend an olive branch to find them!"

She nodded. "I get that," she sighed. "But bad or disgusting mammals like that should be given the full works. I just want justice."

"And I want the truth," the mouse replied.

"Well," Judy said, her fists clenching. "I want both, and if we work hard enough, we can get them."

There was a chuckle from Nick, as he looked at her. "Well, we have a Judy, so we've got a good shot at it."

She nodded, before pausing. "And you? What do you want?"

He shook his head. "It's not about what we want, it's about what we get," he said, turning back to the interview, Dave talking on.

"They're often in isolation, you know, given so many mammals in there who want to end them. You may be able to defend yourself now, but what about your twilight years? If you help us, you might be able to enjoy them free and in peace, rather than having to look over your shoulder everywhere you go."

…

A dark look graced his face, one of his ears flickering, before he spoke.

"May I ask when we can get on to discussing important things, like my bail?"

Behind the glass both Catano and Judy's mouths dropped to the floor in shock.

"Seriously!?" the cheetah gasped, as Judy shook her head to regain her senses.

And her professionalism.

"If he thinks he's getting bail, then he should _really_ check his charges."

"Seriously!?" Catano gasped again. "He… He… -Seriously!"

"Super seriously," Nick added, a slight simmer to his voice as he looked on. The others joined in, as Oates loomed over him.

"Ignoring the mob you led, the obvious flight risk you present, your attempted murder of a bunch of officers with _highly_ illegal firearms, let us look at your holding of illegal refined nighthowlers. Now, are you aware of the nighthowler act?"

…

"No."

"Then let me educate you," Oates scolded. "After the first crisis, and with the reasonable expectation that natural howlers would still be in use as pest control, it was decided to clamp down on anyone caught with refined ones." He paused, giving the prisoner a dark look. "After all, their only real use is as bioweapons. So, if one was to be found with some, it's safe to assume that you're a bioterrorist."

The lawyer coughed and spoke up. "May I remind you that my client is to be considered innocent until proven guilty, and is deserving of due process as a right."

"Indeed," Oates noted. "But under the act we get to hold him for four weeks until having to formally press charges, due to his connection to the refined plants. Then, we have the right to hold you without bail until your trial, up to six months. While this is going on, we are instructed to hold you in the securest facilities. Aka, a full on maximum security prison, the type where your little sheep friends are _not_ having a good time."

…

Kazar was silent. Inside the observation room the various mammals looked at each other.

"I mean, it's not like he was going to get bail anyway," Judy said.

"I can only think of one sort of mammal with a greater flight risk than him," Nick chimed in.

"Which is?" Basil asked, curious.

Nick let a proud little victory smile grow over his muzzle as he looked down at the mouse. "It's quite elementary, my dear… -Bats."

A collection of groans made their way around the room, as Judy lightly punched Nick in the shoulder.

"Ouch. Fox abuse."

She smiled at him, before glancing back into the room. Kazar had chosen to be silent, and was keeping his lips tight. "I mean, he'd definitely try and run. Maybe we could offer him bail if he helps, but make sure to track him after?"

Catano's face lit up. "So we get him slammed up for the rest of his life, and get the truth!" She looked down at Basil as she said the last bit, before looking at the bunny.

"Brilliant!" she said, "Well done!"

A happy smile escaped her professional demeanour, flashing over her muzzle before she got it back under control. She was a professional police officer after all (but she did feel damn good!). Her arms crossed, she looked on proudly. "Well I said we can get both!"

"Indeed," Bogo said, "if he plays ball. We'd also have to check with the DA, just to confirm we can pull this hustle. His, '_alleged',_ sympathies aside, I'm pretty certain he'd allow us to do this despite the Nighthowler act. Indeed, for our perp, its tough rules could act as an extra motive.

The bunny smiled. "I happen to quite like this law," she said as they turned forwards. Basil instructed Dave, who laid out the offer…

…

And got nothing.

Basil then asked about a few more things, such as where he'd got the guns from. They'd noticed that many of them had a section angle grinded off, as if to remove something from it. Could it be related to the dealer? A signature or symbol he put on what he sold?

Again, nothing.

"Or he stays silent," Bogo groaned, "which makes everything much harder."

"Okay," Judy said. "But we have to be able to make him speak. But how, what with, there has to be something we can say. There's always a way…"

"Or we could gauge his reactions to certain things," Basil chimed up. "Read his body, not his words, and we could get a good deal of information despite his silent demeanour."

Nick nodded. "Shall we compare notes?"

Basil looked at him competitively, eager to get his own back for earlier. "Well there's the slight tic's whenever…"

"-We mention the original plot," Nick finished off.

Paws on his suit, the mouse detective stood up taller, more cocksure. "The sign of irritance at their capture…"

"-Or treatment, showing he…"

"-Really quite admires them to some degree!" The mouse finished off. He walked over to the window and stared at him. "If we rub it in so much, he might start lashing out, or at least react in ways that we can infer info from." He paused, thinking. "We just need someone or something that can be indescribably irritating, bonus points if it's specific to him…"

He thought for a second, before being broken off by Nick. "Yooo-hooo!" Turning, he saw both Nick and Judy with crap eating grins plastered on their faces, waving at him.

"Kazar," he said, looking back in. "You, my not so good sir, are totally, royally and utterly screwed!"

.

He stayed silent as the pair sauntered in, replacing the two detectives who they'd been dealing with previously. Nick in particular flaunted in, languishing on his chair and shooting the prisoner a long look. "Bad day, huh?"

He remained silent.

"You know, it's been a while since I had to deal with the nighthowler plot," Judy said, keeping tough and professional throughout it all. Nick couldn't help but notice that she was wearing her 'no more bullcrap' face. "I never wanted to deal with that kind of thing in the first place," she said, sighing. She took a breath in, rubbing the base of one of her ears and biting her bottom lip slightly, before carrying on. "I mean, I wanted to be a police officer, doing good, doing right, ever since I was a child. I'm happy to go all the way, give it my all, to do that, wherever it leads. I'm proud that I solved the first crisis, and tranq'd you to end number two…"

He took a deep breath in, his eyes widening, and both saw him shudder up.

"Ah, I see you don't like that," Nick said, before pointing his thumb at Judy. "I mean, she's no ordinary bunny," he said, before leaning forwards, staring up into his eyes. "But, she's still a bunny! And she beat you. She done beat you good."

He shuddered some more, to the point where his lawyer put a steadying paw on his shoulder. "Is there any reason for this?" he asked.

"Well," Judy said, looking at him. "I just want to inform your client that his horrible idea of prey supremacy, an idea I never wished to deal with or even imagined I'd deal with, is dead. Officer Wilde and I helped bring his idols like Dawn Bellwether to justice; now it's his turn. We've captured his base. His supplies are gone. His acomplices are either on the run or behind bars. I'm also wondering… -do you have any words for our ex-mayor?"

He closed his eyes, breathing in and out, before Nick spoke. "I mean, you two might be good penpals. Backing and forthing, venting over how you were both thwarted by a little bunny and a dirty dangerous fox."

His lips were moving, one going the other, which then slipped out and went on top again. Nick gave Judy a look. Their suspect was heating up under there.

"Anyway," Judy almost announced. "We just wanted to say hi."

"And point out how dumb your plan is!" Nick cheerily added. "I mean protecting prey by turning poor preds like me into savages. You know, your brain has to be pretty inferior to…"

He was cut off by a slam of hooves on the desk, before Kazar let out a deep chuckle. His lawyer moved in to warn him, to stay him, but the massive mammal turned to him and shook his head, the lawyer backing off.

More out of apathy than fear, Nick believed.

"Do you know what I think of Dawn Smellwether and her weak flock?" he asked, smiling slightly. "They were weak. Pathetic. Terrible little excuses for mammals, just like you two."

The pair were taken aback slightly, but Nick felt his teeth grit and pounced. "Oh yeah, and what are you, blockhead? You have even less excuse to be scared of us mammals so much smaller than you!"

"Pah, you think I'm scared," he countered. "No, I just look down on them like the other weak prey. Prey who like to run around in mindless flocks, pushing papers, or doing things for their security. All not seeing the truer things that there are."

"What?" Judy asked confused. "Fear? Power?"

"Yes…" He hissed. "Power. Dawn might have pulled those many little strings, but she wasn't a real mammal. She didn't wish to fight, or take a place at the top of the food chain." He paused, looking down on them like bugs. "Mammals were born in this world, to fight over it. To claim it as their own. The preds used force in the savages ages, and kept their place, even as prey upstarts wormed their way in, like a fig wasp entering the fruit to die!" He paused, huffing. "Those weasels in the howler plot used trickery to try and take the top of the chain. Not like the force that the real mammals who deserve it use!"

.

…

Nick looked to Judy, and Judy to Nick. "Yet," she began, "you still despise preds."

"Oh, you have to say things to get your supporters," he said, shrugging. "Surely you know that life's a scrabble, a war, and if a potential enemy is there, lying on its back, then there's no better time to go in for the kill! Those dimwitted idealogues would follow me anywhere. They deserved to be used and then thrown aside when no longer needed. I assure you I had dealings with preds too, in private of course. Good preds. Powerful ones. Dangerous ones."

"I might agree with you there, Blockhead," Nick said. "Bar the whole craziness thing. I mean woosh, first a mad Honey Badger and now you. We just can't catch a break, can we Fluff?"

Judy felt odd, winded slightly, as he finished, but she shook it off and pushed through, smiling. "Yet you're as much a pathetic, crazy, nasty mammal as Bellwether and her cronies ever were."

"No," he hissed. "I'm above them, above the smaller preds, above the megafauna and the apex predators. I am Kazar! I am the top of the food chain! It is my rightful place there, above this weak city, watching as it tears itself apart and smiling!"

There was a pause, the massive mammal smiling as he looked between the two officers. Nick couldn't help but look at the lawyer, who seemed not to care anymore, before looking back at Kazar.

"I'd just like you to know that,' he said.

Nick paused, before speaking. "So what, the howlers were a weapon? You use them to cause chaos, riots and such, while you take control of the city or whatever? Becoming the king of ashes."

…

He was silent, once more.

"You are a terrible mammal, you know that!" Judy scolded. "I mean… -You're crazy! Do you really think you could lead a mob and just, 'take' this city?

…

He was silent again.

The pair tried other questions or jibes or statements. Nothing worked, he was like a statue.

And, so, they left the room.

"Well," Nick said. "He's a well adjusted mammal."

Slumping forwards, Judy snorted, before shaking her head. "That's… -He's not as insidious as Dawn was," she said, mumbling off a bit at the end. "But that's about all he has going for him."

Nick nodded, as the pair went back into the observation room. The others were there, waiting for them. Catano spoke first.

"Is he trying for an insanity plea? He better not be!"

"I don't think it'd work," Bogo reassured her. "Either way, he'll be going away forever."

"Good," she replied, the various other mammals chiming in.

"So," Judy said, finding a chair and sitting down, slipping back in it as the tension wrapped around her blissfully released. "It's over. The howlers have been found…"

"He may have stockpiles somewhere," Bogo said, "but the threat has been neutralized — that's the main thing." There was even a faint smile from him. "We can tell the city. I'm sure that the public will find it easier to sleep at night now."

"Of course," Dave warned, "we still haven't found his chemist. If it was a prey supremacist, then they might try this whole palava again. They might have another facility!"

"The same could be said after the first plot," Bogo reasoned. "But we have his army, we have a good number of his howlers. We'll always have to remain vigilant, but I think the threat is nicely reduced."

"But still," Basil spoke up. "If we could get him to…"

"We won't be able to," Catano said, "even if we offer him things he really doesn't deserve."

…

"Unless," Basil mused, "-of course!"

"What?" Judy asked.

"Think of it this way, a prideful mammal like him. Getting someone on board to do the most important task in his plan. It'll be someone he trusts, someone he respects, someone far removed from the first plot. He spoke up as we were linking him with mammals he looks down on. So, what happens if we imply he's with some made up mammal far, far below that?"

Nick smiled. "You get him to boast about the truth!"

"We get a lead," Judy added.

"And all without selling out," Catano finished off.

Bogo looked at them and nodded, before pausing as his pager went off. "I need to go, but you lot can work something out," he said, before glancing at their captive. "I order you to make sure his gears are thoroughly grinded."

"Yes sir," they all saluted, before getting to work.

…

Soon they had a made up file for a made up chemist. They chose the thinnest, scraggliest, most pathetic looking sheep that they could (in reality it was a reference picture for some random schmuck called Remmy Cormo that had been gathering dust) and slapped on some weak qualifications from some poor universities. They gave him a weak, cowardly backstory, and presented him as an assistant to Doug Ramses.

The one that got away.

They looked on as Oates and Dave carried on, Kazar almost immediately laughing at it.

In the observation room, everyone held their breath. Had he seen through it, would he just stonewall them again?

"You really think that I'd follow such a snot-nosed, cowardly, pathetic, weakling excuse for a mammal like this?"

"He said follow, not work with," Basil whispered into his microphone, Dave nodding as he heard it. He stayed his ground though, mindful not to make Kazar aware of what they'd picked up.

"No," he hissed. "The one I work under, the one who leads me… Who raised me and my crusade from nothing..." He paused, before smiling an evil smile. "He speaks with ever such subtlety, but with charisma in his voice. Like a curved knife, sharpened to perfection, he can pull you on. You… You do not know what a real leader is. One who men, women and children will lay their lives down for. One who they can trust. One who can inspire such loyalty, wherever he goes, however much mammals try to defeat him." There was a pause. "When I first swore to him, he was returning from his greatest fall, with just a small bunch of followers. But I… I was in a gang that had once followed him. Who knew him for who he was. He came up to us, we with orders to end him, and he told his men to put down their weapons and let himself stand in front. Where he would be torn apart in seconds! And he smiled to his foes, and told all who wished to strike him down that there he stood. Not one of us did. That there was a leader, and we joined to his side, usurped those embarrassments we'd previously slaved under, and marched forwards."

…

"And here you are," Dave said.

Kazar shrugged, smiling a wicked smile as he traced his hoof across his mouth. Oates tried to talk to him after, but it was hopeless. He was silent.

Outside, Judy tapped her foot heavily on the floor, thinking. "Who is this mammal? What kind of one could inspire him? How dangerous is he?" She then looked up at Nick, who almost immediately acted in faux outraged.

"The notion that I'd know who this mammal is. I'm wounded, Fluff."

She smiled back. "So, you admit you don't know everyone?" She teased, causing his eyes to widen. He turned to Catano.

"I've officially been bamboozled by a bunny. How can I show my face in public again?"

The cheetah rolled her eyes and smiled, before leaving. Oates and Dave were exiting the interview room, the latter most likely in need of a ride. Just Nick, Judy and Basil were left in the room, the fox speaking out.

"For real though, I don't think that kind of thing happens in real life. I think he was lying. Either he's trying to scare us, or he's hamming it up for an insanity plea."

"Or he's trying to put us on the wrong trail," Judy mused, thinking. "But what if he wasn't? What if he was telling the truth? Or exaggerating it? This mammal does sound like he's a big threat, if he's really out there. I mean, he could have a majority of the nighthowlers produced."

Nick's ears lowered slightly, and he scratched the back of his head. Judy couldn't help but feel a guilty twinge at the sight. "Well, I hear the press is happy to say that the threat is gone. I guess mammals can sleep safe in their beds for a little bit at least."

Judy nodded, finding a fiery new resolve. They could make this right. She could make it right. "Even if he doesn't exist, there are probably those out there just as bad."

"Are there mammals out there who are nonetheless equally mean as our new dishonored guest?" Nick agreed. "Yes, yes there are."

"But we can beat them," she said. "Isn't that right Basil?"

...

Both the bunny and the fox turned to the mouse detective, only to pause as he just stood there. Rather than his usual exuberance, he was subdued. Thoughtful. Holding back. Nervous, even?

"Earth to Basil," Nick spoke, shaking him out of it.

"Ah, sorry, sorry," he said. "Just contemplating."

The fox nodded back in response, though he kept his eyes on the rodents lowered tail and ears. "About?"

He fumbled for a bit. "-About what you were saying, about mammals like the one you and he described…"

…

"You knew someone like that, didn't you?" Nick spoke.

The words echoed around the room, as Judy gazed down at the detective. "You do? Who was he? Is he still a threat, is he…?"

"He was the most inscrutable villain I have ever faced," Basil stated, looking up at them boldly. "A monster, a narcissist, one with no moral code, who would disgust many but inspire a few completely." His voice hung in the air, and he shook his head. "But it has been a long time since he last fled. I'm hoping my mind is just going to dark places here. In any case, he may be none the less equally mean, but I don't see Kazar bowing to a villain so… well, for a start, short."

The group was silent for a second or two, before Basil shook his head. "Either way, there is no evidence to link him to this. All we found was the link to Kazar's base of operations."

…

"And the thing Judy found," Nick said. Basil looked up curiously, while she jolted into action.

"Of course, I forgot…"

"Forgot what?" The mouse asked.

"When I came in this morning, I'd found something on the jam cams. It looked like a bat."

"A bat!?" he exclaimed. "What, where, when, how?"

"You forgot the why," Nick said. "Anyway, we can give you the timestamp. Let you look over it."

"That…" he began, before pausing. His ears went down, and his voice grew more tense. "That would certainly be useful."

The sound of the door opening rang out, and he turned to face it, expecting to see Dave and give him the news.

Instead, Bogo entered, and he looked at Judy, none too pleased. "Hopps, it is never a good sign when a bunch of polar bear mobsters enter the precinct and ask to see you."

"Huh?" She asked.

"Especially when led by a member of a well-known crime family." He paused. "A Mrs Fru-Fru Big wishes to see you. Apparently, it's urgent."

Judy paused, confused, turning to the others. Nick nodded, he'd help Basil out. Seeing that, Judy left, wondering what on earth all this was about.


	27. Taking out the Trash 4

**Chronic depression.**

**.**

**AN: Welcome back. Just an fyi, seeing as it's that time of year again I've resumed my 'Christmas Carols' oneshot series, featuring various Zoot one-shots based off of popular Christmas songs.**

.

It was odd to see so many polar bears, so many mammals that she knew had a connection to crime, standing in the lobby of the ZPD. The whole air frazzled with a nervous tension as she walked towards them.

The entire force was exhausted after their previous victory, and everything else that followed. They were tired but alert, weary but filled with a fiery resolve, and now, one army defeated, another seemed to stand in their home, just flaunting themselves in front of them. The ZPD forces were uncomfortable, on a hair's trigger, while the polar bears seemed none too comfortable themselves.

Judy wasn't either.

The Chief and a few others knew of her connection, they'd told her that there was nothing against her relationship with Fru-Fru Big, but it meant that she had a personal stake in anything to do with them and couldn't be allowed to investigate anything to do with her father's empire. That had seemed fair.

But, walking out towards them, the crime bears faces all turning to her and visibly relaxing, Judy began to feel just a bit more self conscious. After all, all her friends and workmates would be looking down on this scene, and they'd be able to see what was happening.

They were going to ask questions, weren't they? Or, worse than that, not ask them. After all, if they asked questions then she could reply, she could make them understand. Instead, though, they might remain silent and just judge her, maybe without her even knowing it. Without her ever getting a chance to set things straight, to put things right…

The thought made her ears droop down slightly, though the perky voice calling out did help them spring up a bit.

"Joo-dee! Gawsh, what's the matter?"

"Hi Fru-Fru," she said, feeling happy again to see her friend. Seeing her little goddaughter in the shrew's paws helped even further, and she had a stupid grin on her face as she saw the tiny little shrewlet wave back at her. "Eh-Oh!"

That felt better, and it was concreted as Fru-Fru spoke out to the crowd. "Joo-dee here saved me from a giant donut a few years ago! So I decided to be her friend after that."

Looking around, the bunny saw a ton of the officers looking at her curiously, nodding their heads, or guffawing. She could hear one or two joking about 'the crazy things that bunny gets caught up in…'

There was no outright condemnation or distrust though, which was the main thing. "Thanks for that," she said, turning back forwards. "Anyway, why are you here?"

There was a pause as a frown appeared on the shrew's face. She sighed, and looked down. "I guess you haven't heard."

"About what?"

"Daddy's in a lot of trouble," she said, before glancing up at Kozlov, the great bear carrying her. "Let's find somewhere more private," she said, before motioning him on. Judy followed, unable to help but see the tired looks on many of the bears faces. Exhausted looks. Worried looks. Fearful looks. None more so than Kozlov himself, who not only looked exhausted, but terribly haggard. He glanced around here and there, while keeping the two shrews close to his heart.

Out they went, into the plaza outside the Precinct, before they rounded the corner and arrived at a nearby cafe. There were plenty of spare seats, and the bears colonised an entire corner, drinks being ordered as Judy and Fru-Fru sat down across from one another.

The little mammal stood there, looking up at Judy and smiling, only for that smile to waver and crack. Holding onto her daughter, she ran forwards, right into Judy's paw as the bunny went to comfort her. "What's the matter?"

"It's… It's Daddy!" she whined, clutching on tight. Little Judy was crying too now, trying to ask what was wrong, and her mother tried to spare her time between her daughter and her friend.

Judy did her best, biting her lip as she tried to figure out what to say and what to do, the bunny holding herself there as the shrews worked it out of their system.

She wanted to say that it would all be okay, it would all be fine, but how could she? If Mr Big was finally in trouble with the law, she couldn't really say that it was a bad thing. Heck, she still didn't really know what had happened. In any case, despite the help he'd given, she couldn't help but feel no sympathy for Mr Big. He was a mob boss, she was a cop. He'd tried to execute her, and her best friend, and had almost certainly followed through with other mammals.

That, though, didn't mean she felt no sympathy for his daughter and granddaughter. She'd been clean, she'd planned to go into fashion and had been doing so, leaving the Big's crime enterprises behind her the second she could disband them. She hadn't asked for this life, and for her father's business, but she loved him like anyone would their father, and now she might be losing him. She was crying out in pain, and Judy felt it spread to her too. She ignored her tea when it came, staying by the tiny mammal's side, until, finally, they were ready.

Both sides settled down, took a few sips of their drink and helped themselves to some biscuits that had been brought out, before Fru-Fru spoke, looking down as she did so.

"Not that long ago, his Limo service got an inspection from the ZRCS. An accountancy firm who handles it discovered 'big tax irregularities'. Some of the workers passed this on to some investigators, and they came in to check everything out." She paused, rapping her fingers on her small cup, as she took in a shuddering breath and carried on. "Then… There… They looked at our bank accounts and invoices, and found the payments back to Daddy's main accounts. They looked at them next, and found all the little bits of evidence here and there. Lots of little leads. The Tundratown ZPD then got involved, and…"

Fru Fru choked out a sob, and Judy spoke for her. "You don't have to go on," she said, sadly knowing what would have happened next. Mr Big like to keep himself clean, certainly, but she guessed that if you looked hard enough you'd find the evidence. The tax report opened a divot, which was widened into a crack with the investigation at the limo service, then a hole when it moved onto his accounts. Now, the ZPD had marched through that hole and torn out everything inside, the whole edifice above crumbling and caving in on itself.

And here, out of the rubble, covered in the dust of misery and fear, were those who were left.

"They have him on a lot of business things," she said, hoarsely. "And linked it to some violent stuff, some of the icings as well…" Her voice trailed off. "He's on bail now, but he'll go to jail. He ain't gonna come out again…"

Sniffing some more, Fru Fru saw Judy's paw, outstretched, and ran into it, clutching it again. The bunny was silent though.

A terrible mammal was finally going to face justice.

But he still had loved ones. Ones who'd miss him.

"Is there any way to help?" she asked, eventually.

Fru Fru shook her head. "I… I got accountants who'll sort out the legitimate stuff." She choked a little, an odd bitter mirth entering her voice. "From what I gather, the limo service will be fine after this. Other legit parts too. With that, and my inheritance, we won't be left wanting. Though…"

"Though?"

Fru-Fru silently looked up at the bears around her. "I can keep a few, transfer some more where I can… But I'll have to drop most of 'em. These are just the inner guard too," she sighed. "There are many more workers and helpers. All loyal, all good… All now unemployed."

'_Unemployed crooks', _a small part of her thought, but it was smothered by Judy's worry for them. How many of Mr. Big's employees had actually broken the law? And even for those who had, how many families were depending on them? How much further might they fall trying to make ends meet? Did they really deserve this?

"I just don't understand though…" Fru Fru muttered, shaking her head a little.

"Don't understand what?"

"Daddy always said he kept his taxes in order," she explained. "I mean, when we learned about what you did to hustle Nick, he made it a point!"

Judy paused in thought. After the whole nighthowler business, she'd helped the fox find a tax lawyer and set up a repayment plan. Given how much he traded in goods, services, favours and cash, there wasn't that much that could be tracked down or proven. He had a cheap flat, and a good bunch of savings which took a nasty dent, but he was clear now.

Mr Big, though…

"He still says he did!" Fru-Fru sobbed, before kicking out. "Just can't admit he was wrong."

"Like Nick and his rug," Judy said, smiling a little as she saw Fru-Fru's mood lift ever so slightly. On asking about the infamous skunk butt rug, it turned out that Nick had been swindled on that one and hadn't known about it. Before presenting it, one or two of Big's attendants had queried him about it, suspecting it, and he'd acted all proud about his ware's, confident that he wouldn't have made a mistake.

Had he looked it up then, or they hadn't of suspected it and him denied it, then the old boss might have taken the error far more lightly than he had done.

Then again, it was now in with the new boss. Not the same as the old one.

A sad silence filled the air, as Fru-Fru took a breath in and out. "Thanks for… Thanks for just listening to me."

She smiled, though she didn't feel happy. "If you ever need someone to do that, I'll be the best listening you can get," she said, pointing at her ears.

Fru-Fru laughed, even little Judy squealing a little. That seemed to make it all a little bit better. They talked a little more, about more friendly stuff, trying to make things lighter. In the end, though, time was running out. They had places to go. Judy had to get back to work. Life would go on.

Kozlov coughed slightly, jerking Fru-Fru to attention. "Oh, right… Joo-Dee, Kozlov wants to talk to you, a little."

Pausing, the bunny looked up at the massive polar bear. His face looked worn out, old, sagging and forlorn as he nodded and stood up, Judy following him out. "I first came to Zootopia thirty year ago," he said, slowly. "Big Family took me in. Took many of my country mammals in." He paused, mincing the words in his mouth. "I guess many now go home. Most want to stay though."

"Couldn't you find jobs here?" she asked. They were outside, in a small alcove, and he turned to face her, one of his eyebrows raised critically.

"We were all mammals only trained to cause fear and pain," he said, painfully and wearily, a hint of shame in his voice. "First to protect the state, but then state die. Then we protect the family that took us in. Family now dead… I tried to protect many others too in my life…" He trailed off, shamefully looking away as his paws trembled. "I do not think anyone failed as hard as Kozlov."

Judy looked at him, before stepping forwards and placing a paw on his. "I wouldn't be so sure," she said. "I've had some pretty major failures too.."

He looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. "Even now, I fail to protect my bears. A few get to stay on. Most others…"

He paused, trailing off.

"I'm sorry it was that way," she said.

"Do not be sorry, not for me," he said. He glanced away shamefully. "I am not deserving of apology."

…

"Will you be helping the others, return home?" she asked.

He nodded. "I will try. Depends on where home was. In the north, I hear they need gas and oil workers. Same in the east. The east is good, the last twenty years wonderful for it, like a terrible shroud lifted. I hear a good few want to return there, I will help."

Judy nodded, before pausing. "Where did you come from?"

He smiled a little. "My family came from Lemmingrad," he said, smiling a little. "Papa and Mama sent there after war to help with rebuilding. But I move from there early. I was sent around and around. Zootopia is only city I'd call home. Same for most of my mammals. Most of them were born here, after all. I guess now they become poor here..."

…

Judy was silent, what words could be said?

"But that is not why I call you here," he spoke, his words carrying an air of caution. He looked around and knelt down. "I have sudden business to attend to in old country. To meet with old friend," he said. "Need to be gone for small time."

"So you want me to make sure that Fru-Fru is safe?"

He smiled. "You would keep her safe anyway, you are good mammal." He then sighed, before his paw went into his suit. Out came a small necklace, a small crystal-like metal pendant, coppery in colour but fused with dark spots, hanging off of it. Judy couldn't help but notice the odd divot and bump in it, as if someone had tried to chisel into it. "Is old family heirloom," he spoke. "With worry about attack on Big's, and long journey there and back, want you to look after it. Demon bunny can hold her own, yes?"

Judy laughed, before looking up and smiling. "Of course," she said, taking it off of him. "I'll keep it safe."

"Very safe," he said, before looking up. "Need to return now. Family to protect, flight to catch tomorrow."

"Back home to Russia," she said, "to see old family."

"To Ewekraine," he clarified. "To see old comrade."

Judy nodded, before pausing. "Aren't parts of there…"

"Dangerous? Yes," he said, as they walked back. "But old friend lives in far north, away from fighting. Nice town called Slavulpinch. He moved there to help out those who live there. Same reason I go there now, to help. Same reason I stay with Fru-Fru. To help. Least I can do."

"You're a good mammal," she said.

"No," he said with a dark inflection, his voice picking up a little as they re-entered the cafe. "Am not. We simply try to repay great debt that never can be." He looked at her, then back at Fru-Fru. "Look after her," he said. "I fear that wider things are playing with her, she at their mercy. Kozlov knows what that is like."

Not sure what to say, she nodded and entered back in. A few words were exchanged, goodbyes were sent, and both mammals went their own ways.

Slowly walking back into the precinct, she sat down on a chair, slumping over. Her head slid down into her paws, which covered her eyes as her ears fell down in front of her.

She felt tired, she felt sad.

She knew…

She knew that bad mammals had friends, had families, had those who cared for them and looked after them, and who would miss them when they were taken away. She knew that Big, whatever way she looked at it, was a bad mammal. Him being taken away was one big positive for Zootopia, no matter what he'd done to help her in the past. No matter how much he'd helped her, helped the city in the nighthowler crisis… It was part of the job, and things _would_ be getting better. They would be...

But… But she was sad. Sad for his daughter, granddaughter, for his polar bears. She was sad for him. A little part of her brain put its little paw up, and smugly pointed out that he had once tried to kill her… But for some dumb reason the rest of her mind didn't really care.

The world was, on paper, a better place now. Some other mammals had seen to it, with their diligence and intelligence, and nobody was hurt or injured.

But it didn't feel like that.

Which was bad, as surely there would be a way to do that? Surely, somehow, they could have worked out a way to have a happy ending for everyone? Save the city, save the family. But that hadn't happened, she'd been busy with her own thing, and the painful way out had snapped into operation without her. It didn't even need her to pull the trigger, to do the breaking of the heart, to be the one who…

"Fluff?"

She looked up, spotting Nick next to her. He was looking over her with sympathy and bent over, putting a paw on her back.

"You good?"

She smiled. "Yeah, I'm…"

She was cut off by a finger on her mouth, as Nick looked down sceptically. "I'm not even the detective here, and I can tell that you're fibbing."

Paw away, she glanced at the floor, her nose twitching a few times before she spoke out. "My ears were droopy, weren't they?" she asked, glancing down at the tips of those big tattletails.

"That was one of many clues, yes," he teased. "All painting a clear picture of an upset bun-bun…"

She snapped to him, her nose twitching a few times, before she settled down. Tired, with one big glomp, she let her head drop down into his chest, and he responded by rubbing his paw down the back of her head. "There, there, so emotional. Now, it's been a big day for both of us, so what's the matter?"

"Mr Big got caught out on tax issues, everyone just dug further, and he's probably going to go to jail and never come out."

"Did she say Mr Big?" a voice piped up. Basil. "As in the infamous Tundratown mobster?"

"I think so yes, it certainly lines up with her story. He's been noted to be in a fair bit of tax trouble, for sure." Dave replied.

"And so the interesting question is how she knows him and why it's so upsetting?"

Judy just listened on and groaned. Of course they'd be with Nick and, looking up, she saw them in his shirt pocket. She'd just been too preoccupied with herself to notice. "I knew his daughter first, I saved her from a runaway giant donut — long story. I didn't know her dad was a crime boss until later."

The two mice glanced at each other and nodded. "I guess you're upset for her sake, then," Dave said, his voice tinged with concern.

Nodding her head, Judy stood up. "She's losing her father, and found out he lied to her too. It's rough…"

"Lied to her?" Basil asked. "Did she not even know what he was. What he was up to? That would certainly explain a lot of the pain and such."

"The poor girl must be distraught then," his husband finished.

Judy shook her head. "She was aware, planning to legitimise when she inherited it all. It's that he said he had all the taxes in good order. It turned out one of his businesses hadn't and that's how they got in."

Nick winced. "Rough. I mean, unlike lazy past me, I'd have thought he'd of been dotting all the i's and crossing the t's."

"She thought he was, turns out he wasn't," she said. "That, and the fact that he keeps on telling her that he did keep them in order."

Nick snorted, before glancing down. "Sorry, mild schadenfreude there. Seems like mama karma came back to him on that one."

"And what long story is behind that, then?" Basil enquired. Nick looked down at him and groaned, while Judy had her own enjoyable moment. Soon enough though the skunk butt rug affair was explained, alongside with their complete past with Big, much to the interest of the mice detectives.

"Well," Dave summarised. "I can most certainly say that that was certainly… something."

"Of course, this final end to his chapter should be a splendid bit of good luck for you two, drawing a final line on all that murky stuff in the past," Basil explained. "Out with the old, never to chain you down again."

"I certainly hope so," a new voice spoke up, the group turning to see Catano walking over to them. She paused, looking at Nick and Judy, concerned more than anything. But, looking down, Nick saw her tail ever so slightly fuzzed up. She paused, sighing. "I know it was a dumb bit of luck and all," she began, pausing as the words hung on the edge of her tongue. "But I was expecting better from you," she said, before sighing.

"Kii?" Judy spoke up, walking forwards.

"You two are still my friends," the cheetah spoke austerely, "but I might need some time to process this."

Judy blinked a few times, before looking away. "I'll do my best to rebuild your trust."

Catano held back a bit. "Thanks Judy," she said, before looking at the two mice. "Want a ride back?"

They agreed, and Nick handed them to her as she spoke. "At least you should be clear now. I'm guessing you being friends with the daughter is fine if she is clean."

Judy nodded, before pausing. "It should be… But her chief polar bear did ask me to for a little favour."

"Huh?" Catano asked, glancing at her, her eyes narrowing. The bunny brought out the necklace, much to her confusion.

"'Family heirloom'," she explained. "The bear wanted me to look after it while he went travelling. Said he had to do business or such, meeting an old friend who lives in the Ewekraine, in Slavulpinch. He might be trying to find jobs for all the other polar bears, given that they're out of a job now."

Nicked scoffed a little. "Best of luck to him, though he's got his luck cut out. They're not exactly traditionally employable…"

"It surely can't be that bad," Basil asked, as Nick's eyes narrowed.

"One CV I proofed for them was headed, and I quote, '_Va-Va-Vasily, Volegograd's greatest 'Vove' machine'_."

"Maybe it is that bad," he muttered.

"Yup," Nick nodded. "The chances are, whoever replaces Big will take them on."

Judy deflated some more from this. There wasn't even a silver lining. She looked around, seeing Nick's pessimistic resignation to the fact, Catano's irritation at it, and the mice's sudden energy, Basil in particularly twitching around in thought.

The gears had turned all around them without her noticing, moving on, and she felt oddly helpless. Oddly useless.

"It's time to go," Nick said, sitting up.

"Cool," she replied.

The fox paused, looking at her. "I showed your little recording, you did find something."

"You certainly did," Basil replied. "Thank you very much, it might prove very useful."

"Incredibly so," Dave chipped in.

That felt a bit better, and Judy looked up and took a breath in. She still felt a bit sad, it had been a crazy day. "Thanks," she said. "I guess I'll head home now."

They all nodded and began going their ways, and as she stepped out into the open air she took a breath in. She felt… Unsure of herself. Unsure of her footing.

"Hey, Carrots?"

Turning back to Nick, she smiled. "Yes."

The fox paused. "You seem a bit off today."

"It's been a bit crazy," she replied.

Nick paused, taking a deep breath in, before smiling. "Then how about you come back to my place and relax. Work through all these things."

That sounded good. That sounded great. And Judy nodded, and they head off together, paw in paw. Today had been crazy so far, and, while she always enjoyed staying with Nick, in this moment there was nothing else she'd ever want more than it.


	28. Taking out the Trash 5

**General acceptance.**

.

**AN: So, we're at the end of this episode, and the first arc of season 1 for that matter. This whole episode was probably my least 'inspired' to write, given that it came about primarily to move a lot of characters to where they needed to be and to introduce certain important things. However, it also had some very fun scenes to write. This whole series is going to have a kind of empire strikes back like pacing to it, (you've already had the action packed main battle), but I'm looking forward to sharing what comes in act 2 and, eventually, act 3.**

**Not to get ahead of my horses though, as there's one last chapter left here. One I think you'll all enjoy.**

.

It wasn't that far back to his apartment, a few stops on the subway and then a decent walk. Just far enough out of the way for the steepness to go out of the prices as Nick put it. The Zootopian planning system was pretty open and that meant that, for smaller mammals at least, housing was cheap. Many mammals lived in 'pods', placed on the roofs of larger buildings, or in little climber towers that rose up in alcoves of older buildings. It wasn't too uncommon for a larger mammal to find a tower built in the space between two of their windows, taking over a small planting area on the ground floor or something.

Nick's place was like that. A small-ish nook between the corners of two larger buildings that had been filled in, two apartments on each floor serviced by a shared lift and staircase. In they hopped and up they went, the ride seeming to take a rather long time, the bunny feeling tired on her feet as they rose. Finally reaching their floor, Nick let her in and she stepped inside, yawning as she went. It had been a long day, with a short night before, and all the little cheques to tiredness that she'd written were being cashed in. Through the little lobby she went, past the bathroom where they'd had the embarrassing moment this morning…

This morning…?

It felt so much longer ago than that. Judy couldn't really believe it, she couldn't really believe much of what had happened this day. She'd been embarrassed, excited, gutted, thrown into the heart of an enemy base where she became enraged, faced off against one of the nastiest mammals she'd ever faced, felt sympathy for the daughter of someone who was technically right up there with him…

"Nick," she said, softly. She'd settled herself down on his sofa, hoping to maybe watch some Pawflix, but not really caring about what was going to be put on. Right now, she was just looking at the black TV screen, her eyes feeling a bit droopy, and she couldn't summon a reason to change that.

She paused. Had he heard her?

"Nick," she said again, before some clattering came out from behind her. Standing up, peeking up over the back of the sofa, she saw Nick bringing something out of his freezer. "Ice cream?" she asked, confused.

He raised a finger. "Prescription ice cream."

Good old irritating Nick. "I don't think there's such a thing," she sassed back.

"Well, it's ice cream," he began, as he scooped out a helping of blueberry, placing it in a bowl already containing a vanilla and strawberry one. "And I'm prescribing it to you." He then brought out a tub of special carrot cake ice cream and put a scoop into another waiting bowl, the vanilla and strawberry already there. "Which makes it prescription ice cream."

"Thanks Nick," she said, before shaking her head. "Though I don't know why I need it…"

"-Oh dear," he deadpanned. "That calls for wafers, whipped cream and either raspberry of chocolate sauce. Which one do you prefer?"

She giggled. "Calm down there Nick, it's fine…"

"In that case you're getting both," he stated firmly, before burrowing into his cupboard. "And a flake too!"

Getting the memo, Judy watched on his he worked his way with his frozen treats. Whipped cream was sprayed, the flakes went in, the sauces went on, spoons were prepped, and, with a proud little flair, Nick settled down next to her, handing her treat over."

"Thanks Nick."

"Always my pleasure."

She nodded, before taking a nice spoonful, savouring the flavours. She couldn't help but have a little though spring into her mind, immediately chuckling at it.

"What?" Nick asked.

"Frozen treats have always been your thing," she jibed.

"A rather ice speciality, if you ask me," he replied, getting a groan in response. "Always helped keep me afloat when things got a bit freezed… You know, if you always liked it this much, why didn't you gelat-me-know? You know, I like to be an active mammal, but in my past I certainly spent of time lollyhaggling…"

"Staaahhhhp…" Judy groaned, cringing from the onslaught of terrible jokes.

"Uh, oh, tired Bun is cranky Bun, as usual."

"Niiiiicccckkkk…"

"Early bedtime tonight."

"Staaaahhhhpppppp!"

"Why, I thought that you wanted irritating Nick back," he teased.

"I did," she groaned melodramatically, before having to pause for a yawn. Her mouth snapped open, stretching out as she went before she pulled it back together. There was a slight pause, before she finished off by relocating one of her ears, which had flopped over the front of her face, back to behind her. "What a foolish bunny I was."

"Indeed, you left your ice cream right open for capture."

"What?" she said, waking up a little from the tease. She looked down and expected to see a massive chunk missing, but only found the small divot she had made. She looked up at Nick, who shrugged.

"Just a point of advice," he defended, eyes closed and paw going up. "Not that I'd actually do it. That's just your overactive bunny mind hopping about."

He received a featherweight punch in the arm for that.

"Ouch. Fox abuse."

….

The two burst down giggling, before digging into their ice cream. It had been a long and tiring day, at the end of a long and tiring set of events. From finding out about those howlers at the theatre, until now…

…

"Was this ice cream thing getting back at me for the hustle we pulled on you at the theatre?" she asked, looking at him deviously.

"No," he shrugged. "That was a well deserved hustle that's got me feeling a lot better, thank you very much. I was a dumb fox back then, who you helped out." He then paused, and put down his ice cream to face her. "I won't repay that hustle," he said, frankly. "But I will repay that favour… Judy, is everything okay?"

She blinked a few times, her eyes drooping down on each occasion. "Yes, everything…"

"No," he interrupted, looking at her. "Everything isn't fine."

"But it is…"

"Okay, Judy, first rule. Please don't lie to me. I can tell something is up, and I'm concerned for you. Now, I know I really am not the mammal to judge and lecture you, but there's no-one else here so you're stuck with me." He paused, looking at her, feeling a bit guilty as her nose twitched a few times before pushing on. She needed this. "You're not you today, and the more I think about it, the more I notice it."

"But it's been a crazy day," she justified trailing off at the end. "Lots of stuff happened…"

"Right," he said. "It's affected you. But how? Why? I saw your nose twitch there, so I know I'm onto something."

Judy looked at him before slumping down, huffing as she looked away. "Right… Right… I'll tell," she said, before grabbing another big spoonful of ice cream. A spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. "You remember this morning, getting in? Finding about them tracking down the howler plot?"

"Yup."

"Well…" she began, before sighing. "You'll probably think I'm really selfish for this," she grumbled.

"I don't care."

"I thought they were wrong," she muttered. "I _believed_ they were wrong. I… -I _wanted_ them to be wrong. It's selfish, it meant that they, whoever they were, would have more time to pull off their plan and hurt mammals." She kicked her foot out and grumbled. "But with all the work I did, and at the time it suddenly seemed like it was all pointless… I mean, it might still help out, I hope it does, and that makes me feel better. But… Well, I felt gutted back then, and thinking about it now, I feel like I'm… I'm…" There was a weary sigh. "A selfish glory hog."

She paused, before jolting a little as Nick put his paw around her shoulder. "Carrots," he said softly. "I… Well, remember the whole skunk butt rug incident?"

"Uh-hu."

Nick looked away a little, scratching the side of his muzzle. "I worked hard to get that rug, and it was supposed to mean something, and I finally found something like what I was looking for and I was so proud. I was going to give this to Big, and Grandmama was going to rest in it, and oh boy would I be doing them proud… And then other mammals starting warning me, saying it was a fake. A phony. Not wool, but fur from the butt of a skunk. A skunk butt rug. Who were they to say that? I'd worked hard to find this rug! So I ignored it, gave the rug to Big, and almost got iced as a result." he shivered a little before shrugging. "You got invested in your work, super invested, as nobody works harder than you…"

"I just want to make the world a better place," she said. "And that means working harder to do it." Despite her tiredness, her voice hardened with resolve as she said it, Nick smiling in response.

"And when you found that all your hard work would do nothing it hurt," he said, coming in to hug her a little. "No biggie."

…

"It's not just that," she said.

"I could guess."

She nodded her head, looking at him, and her paws trembled slightly. "Seeing Fru-Fru… She's my friend, and seeing her hurt like that... But it's Big! Should I be hurt, should I be happy, I don't know how I feel."

Nick shrugged, before a grin grew across his muzzle. "To quote a friend, 'I have mixed feelings about this.'"

Her face lit up a little. "So do I."

"They are good words of wisdom."

That's Kris for you," she smiled, only to pause, her nose beginning to twitch.

…

"Carrots?"

"He lives in the rainforest," she said, her voice little more than a whisper.

"Edge of it, yeah…"

"The gas," she said, her voice hoarse and tired. She hadn't ever thought of it before, the risk he and others were at. "Those mammals, Kazar… He wanted to turn them savage," she spoke, slowly but sadly. "Wanted to kill them all, pred and prey, and…" Her voice hitching, she closed her eyes, her paw reaching down to Kozlov's necklace gift. That sweet young fox, after all he'd been through. She had an image catch in her mind, of a grey figure dressed in blue banging against a glass wall to get at a red fox, only to collapse to the ground choking…

Kris and Ash…

They were just kits. "-All that time spent waiting for his father to recover, all that time waiting to be reunited and coming to this city, and it would…"

She left the rest unspoken, a single tear dripping down from her eye. Nick pulled her onto his lap and held her tight with his arms, tail up and covering him as he stroked her ears. "He'd have been be in school at the edge of Savannah Central. I think his dad works at UZ. They'd be out of the way…"

"Or maybe not," she replied. "I… When I saw what that mammal was doing, I was angry, Nick. Furious. He was trying to hurt innocent mammals, and kill them, even when he'd lost! Even when he had nothing to gain, he was going to do it anyway just to spite us. I was mad with him, just like I felt awful when I found out I'd wasted my time, and upset about Fru-Fru…"

…

"Do you feel better now?"

Blinking, realising just where she was, Judy smiled a little. "Maybe," she said, before glancing at her ice cream. "Maybe more with that."

Nick smiled. "Greedy bunny."

"Dumb, caring, fox," she replied, as they separated and she began eating, taking lazy bites out of it.

"Carrots, you're the caring one," he replied between bites. "So emotional. But all you want to do is make the world a better place."

"All I can do is try, and keep trying," she said, before breaking down into another long yawn.

"And you know, everyone is happy for you," he said. "Everyone believes in you. You're making the world a better place for every nice mammal out there."

Judy nodded back, only to pause. She suddenly felt cold, colder than her ice cream, because that wasn't true, was it? Because, however much she tried, she ended up hurting mammals.

One in particular.

The one who had come to Judy, her hero, the one she seemingly thought would always be on her side. Her hope, her rock, her paragon of truth and justice and the Zootopian way.

And Judy had repaid that faith by sticking a tranquiliser dart into her, sealing her fate and betraying her.

Those eyes, that look, that face hurt beyond belief… It had been a few days before, and they were still etched into her mind, hanging over her. Guilting and shaming her, the whole thing getting even worse when Judy remembered that she wasn't the one truly hurt by all this.

That poor honey badger was.

Nick saw the change and tried to speak to her. She began sobbing, really not helped by how tired she felt, and she turned to face him, burying her face in her chest as she told the truth. Told him that couldn't get the guilt out of her mind. She'd done the cruelest thing imaginable to her, all in a rush, and had just hurt another predator.

Another one who believed in her, like Nick had, back at that press conference.

Another one whose hopes and dreams and pride and everything she'd just dashed. Again. Not for the first time, and she knew it wouldn't be the last time.

"It's what I do," she sobbed. "I just… I just… I just go around hurting predators."

"We brought her in together…" Nick urged.

"_I_ tranq'd her!"

"Fluff, she was nuts," he sighed. "She was a risk to herself, to others…" He paused, shaking his head. "What else could you have done?"

"I could of… I could have found a way…" she said, looking up at him.

"What way?"

"I could have talked her down…"

"The cops behind us would have darted her, or she'd have raced past."

"But, still, I…"

…

"But what?" Nick asked. Judy looked away, and he then grabbed her and pulled her close. "Judy, Judy, Judy… Always racing, always pushing, always making the world a better place." He turned her around and booped her nose. "But sometimes you have to choose the least bad option, okay? The least bad one. And, you know what, doing that is sometimes the most heroic thing you can do."

Recovering a little, Judy nodded her head, Nick taking the opportunity to spoon feed her some of the ice cream. It took her a few seconds after to register what had just happened. "Did you just…"

"You weren't taking your medicine," he scolded, earning a laugh. He smiled at it, he was getting his bun back. "Life can be cruel and mean, and you can get stuck in situations you can't win," he said. "But you, you're a trier. Always have been, always will be. You're a good mammal, Judy."

Wiping the last of her tears away, she smiled. "Thanks," she replied, before taking a deep breath in. "I can try and apologise to her…"

"If she lets you," Nick reminded her. "If she doesn't, that's not your fault, don't go blaming yourself."

She nodded her head. "Okay," she said, smiling. "Maybe… Maybe things aren't perfect. But I can still help out."

"That's the spirit!"

"I can do good."

"It's what you do."

"I can help Fru-Fru, I can tackle crime, I can protect Kris and his father, and all the other preds. I can keep on going."

"Now _there_'s the Carrots I know and love," Nick cheered, clapping his paws.

The two relaxed down, and began watching TV, the blue lights helping to keep Judy up, though her eyelids sometimes fluttered shut for a little bit. She still listened on though. She still interacted with Nick. Chatting. Catching up. As night fell, there was cheering from outside, mammals happy that the nighthowler threat was seemingly gone. "See, we did that," Nick said.

"Yup," Judy replied, her voice trailing out. "It's not all gone – there's still work to do…"

"There may be setbacks," Nick reminded her.

"But our little group can keep on helping. It's what we do!"

Nick nodded and held out his paw for a fist-bumb, Judy meeting his with hers just as the banging and flashing of fireworks rang out. "Fist-bumping as an explosion goes on," Nick smirked, "another off the bucket list."

"Nick..." Judy began, as she turned to look at the display, firing up from the mountain levels of the Rainforest district. "I don't think fireworks -Woah, did you see that one!"

"The dragon one?"

"Yeah the dragon one, who's even setting them off?"

Nick shrugged. "I hear there's a kung fu temple up there that makes their own; one of their panda masters is called The King because he's so good with them."

"Well," she said, settling in to watch. "Whoever they are, they're making the world a better place. Just like us."

"Yup," Nick agreed, as the pyrotechnics began showing off a mix of all sorts of mammals, and a few non-mammals, displaying all the species that lived in the city. The pair settled down to watch the display until its end. By the time it did, Nick had gotten an email from some friends and, as he read it, he smiled. "Aaaawww…"

"Huh?"

"Question," Nick began, raising a lecturing finger as he spoke. "How cute are baby fox kits?"

Her head drooped down to the side as she tried to think of a response, finding one a bit later that she usually would have. "Criminally cute," she said warmly, smiling as she looked up at her partner.

"Well then, looks like you'll be having to make an arrest soon," Nick said.

"How come?"

"It seems that Ash is going to become a big brother."

Judy blinked a few times, before doing what Nick thought was her best Clawhauser impression. "Aaaaawwww…." she cooed, a goofy grin on her face. "That sounds great."

Nick nodded his head. "We're all invited to the baby shower."

"Nice," Judy replied, before pausing. "How does Ash feel about this?"

"I'm not sure," Nick replied, scratching his chin. "You know what though, I might organise a catch up session with him. I'll talk to the family."

The two nodded in agreement, just as Judy's phone buzzed. She turned to it, feeling a little relief from the awakening powers of its blue glow.

…

"No way."

"What way, Carrots?"

"Jack and Skye are dating…"

Nick paused, blinking a few times, before bursting out into laughter. Full on vulpine tongue sticking out eyes squinting laughter. Judy watched him for a while, until he calmed down. "Good one," he said.

"I'm serious," she replied.

…

"Seriously?"

"Am I serious about being serious?" She teased. "Yes, yes I am."

Nick paused for thought, before nodding. "Right then," he replied. "Interesting…"

"Why?" she asked.

"It's just that Skye really doesn't seem like the kind of mammal who'd want much to do with a lazy, untidy, bohemian like _El Stripo_…"

"Well, she obviously sees something in him," she said. She carried on looking, and smiled further. "They're also double dating with another pair."

"Hmmm?" he asked, looking over. They scrolled down to a selfie, Judy cooing and Nick laughing.

"Well, there's a pairing you don't see every day," he said, only to pause as he recognised one of them.

"Hey, hyena and red panda," Judy said, shrugging. "Might have something going for it?"

"Like a red panda and an onager?" he queried.

Judy blinked, giving a sleepy 'huh' to Nick.

"Onager, -wild ass," he clarified, before pointing at the red panda. "She was the one dating that tech millionaire a while back."

Judy's eyes widened with shock. "She is," she said, before sighing. "You know, she looks happy, but was she forced away the tech guy because of all the abuse? Did they break up for another reason? Was some of that stuff true?" She looked down and shrugged. "I have mixed feelings."

"I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"Hopefully," she said, smiling. "But red panda and hyena seems to have something that…" she broke off for a yawn, then carried on. "Something seems right about it."

"Maybe," Nick replied, before trailing off. "Maybe… Just like a bunny and a fox."

"Yup," Judy sleepily replied, as she put her phone away.

Nick, though…

Nick had had a long hard time opening up. A long time practicing, a long time at therapy. He'd improved, greatly, be he still felt nervous. While Judy, bless her bunny heart, would jump into things and try and do her best, he was cautious. He tried to plan things out – take the bigger picture into consideration, that picture including things that could go wrong.

He was a pessimist too, so he tended to blow that sort of thing out of proportion.

But.

But…

He wanted to move forwards, he really did, and Judy had opened up to him today. He'd pressed her, she'd done it, and he was always happy to follow her lead. He loved her, he just didn't want to risk saying it.

But he didn't want to live with it unsaid anymore.

He felt caught between a warm desire to open up about it, and the cold iron chains of caution he was used to. Holding him back, wrapping around his muzzle and throat tight. Closing his eyes, he did a little breathing exercise good old Dr Tic Tac had taught him before opening them again.

"Hey… Judy…" he spoke out, having to force the words out.

She turned to him, her heavy eyes blinking a few times. "Yes Nick?"

"About bunnies and foxes being a good match," he said, taking a breath in.

"Yes?" she asked, curious.

"Well," he began, finding comfort as he drifted into a tangent. "You're my friend, my _best_ friend, we get on well together. We enjoy each other. We tease and we have fun, and you help to… -You bring to me what I don't have in me, and while I think you're a pretty awesome wonder bunny… You may have areas where I lend a helping paw…"

He realised he was looking away from her, up at the ceiling. His heart was beating, fast, and he forced his muzzle down to face her, seeing her looking out with doey eyed curiosity and wonder.

He grit his teeth, closed his eyes, and swallowed down. He could do this. "I… I think we get along great as friends… But, maybe we could try being more than that?" It was a bit of a weasel out, he knew it, and for a few seconds he felt caught in a dreadful silence.

She looked at him, the gears in her head turning and sliding into position as she realised where this was going, and then she smiled. "Yeah, why not?"

Nick's jaw metaphorically hit the floor. It was doing its best to do it literally too, and Judy giggled at the sight of it before, leaning forwards, placing her paw on his. "I'm guessing you're going to end up asking if you want to be in a relationship with me," she said, shrugging. "I never really imagined it, but you know what? I don't have anything against it. Might as well give it a whirl, and if it doesn't work, we can still be friends after."

…

Nick choked back a laugh, and another.

This…

This…

His body buckled with relief, and he leapt forwards, pulling Judy into a tight hug. It hadn't ended bad! It was fine! It was better than fine! He held her tight, and though she was a bit shocked, she then snuggled into him and smiled.

"I love you Judy," he said. Without fear. Without apprehension. Without anything. It was like the levee was broken, the muzzle gone, and what had scared him, terrified him… It was easy now. As easy as any other word, but so much better than that. "I love you, Judy," he whispered, as he gently tapped her ear with another kiss.

Judy, meanwhile, was playing catch up. She'd thought that this was a casual 'try it' thing, but as she registered what her friend was doing, she realised it was more than that. Far more. "How long were you trying to say that?" she asked softly, as she felt his touch upon her.

"Oh, a really dumb long time," he almost laughed. He then giggled. "Ages, really!" He took in a long breath and smiled. "But I can say it now. It's feels crazy, and dumb, just like you, but I can say it…"

Judy held him tight. It didn't take much time or much brainpower to work out that so much of his time in therapy, so many of his exercises, so much of his growth…

It was for her.

She felt a hot flush, realising just how much he must love her, and then excitement. Excitement, and wonder, and just the warmest of warm feelings that anyone would care for a bunny like her so much.

Today had been a roller coaster, and it didn't look like it was stopping anytime soon. But here, now, she felt like she wanted to go on. There was a mammal who loved her, she couldn't put into words how that felt, but it felt good. She cared for him as a friend, yes. She'd do her best to go beyond that though. They could date, and hang out, and her mind flicked back to the image of him from this morning. A foxer in his boxers…

She was so going to try this thing. She was going to try it as hard as she could, trying to make it work and flourish and be something great. She really cared for Nick and loved him as a friend, and she could learn to love him in a different way. She was confident she could do it, she was looking forward to doing it, the whole idea felt fantastic!

And he felt warm…

Warm, and comfy, with his shirt below her and tail over her.

The beat of his body next to her, the feeling of his breathing, his warmth…

His comfort...

Judy drifted off without knowing it, the sleep that had been snapping at her heels all afternoon claiming victory. It seemed like she was going to spend another night at Nick's place.

Both the bunny and the fox though would end up seeing nothing wrong with that.


	29. Target Practice

**AN: So, the groups are aware of each other, the first arc of the story is down and more is on its way. We'll be having a fun trio of oneshots coming up, as all our characters begin to get more and more involved in each others lives.**

**I also like to say that an ask the cast thing is open. Ask a cast member a question in the comments, and you'll get an in character reply.**

**.**

**Target Practice.**

.

The Tundratown biathlon park may not have been the most stereotypical meet up place for two friends, but sometimes the most unusual places just happen to be the right ones.

In Nick's case, being a ZPD Officer meant he could use the place as a practice range for free as long as no one else had booked the facility. This even extended to bringing along plus ones.

Ash, meanwhile…

Well, he didn't really care 'that much'. It just gave him a cool thing to do with his friend.

"Doing good, Mr," Nick said, before making a spitting sound.

Ash just nodded and hummed back an 'uh-huh' sound. There was a warm smile on his face which Nick felt good about. After all, he quite liked the younger fox. He was a good kit, and deserved to be happy.

So, together, they walked up to the large reindeer behind the entrance booth. "Here for the usual?" he asked, not really looking up from his paper. He flicked it over to a new page as Nick sauntered up to him, smugly leaning up against the counter.

"That and a plus one, Sven."

The large mammal looked up at the pair, before double taking it at the sight of Ash. "Right then," he said, leaning under his desk to bring out two sporting rifles. "Didn't know you had a kit," he said, passing them over. Ash's face twerked up oddly for a second, and he glanced up at the older fox while Nick snorted.

"Hah, I wish," he replied, giving the guns a quick look over, having to focus as a stray bit of wind blew past. He glanced over at Ash, the teen still trying to come to terms with the statement, and placed his arm around him, firmly patting him on the back. "He's just a cool dude I know," he said, the shorter fox finally snapping to attention.

"Right," he said firmly. "Cool dude… Getting colder." He then turned down and did his winter clothing up some more as Nick sorted out the final details. Then, together, they wandered over to the range.

…

"Say, Mr," Nick began, before spitting on the floor. He spoke cautiously, thinking as he did so. "Your relationship with your old man, how is it these days?"

Ash shrugged. "Fantastic."

The older fox couldn't help but feel relieved, remembering the frayed state it was in when they first met. He knew that progress was being made, but 'progress being made' couldn't be a weaselier statement if it was the Duke of Bootleg himself who'd said it. Just as he had done, on the many, many occasions where he and Judy had checked up on him, seeing if he was going clean or getting out of crime.

And now he was stuck in months of community service, which wasn't jail, so progress was (kind of) being made! But still, case in point and all…

"We did a pest control job recently," Ash elaborated.

"I'd argue that I did too," Nick replied, smirking as he did so.

There was a slight snigger from the young fox as he looked up at Nick. "Thanks for that, I guess."

"Well, it is what we do at the ZPD," Nick replied, as they reached the range. Set out in front of them was a long line of small metal target plates, each one ready to be hit and pinged back. The pair of foxes arranged themselves at the firing line, Nick handing Ash's sports rifle over to him. The younger fox immediately pointed it down, gaining a nod from his mentor, before looking at the range.

"Sooo…" he began. "This is part of a biathlon, correct?"

"Correct," Nick agreed, not quite sure where this was going. Regardless, he laid himself down, getting a feel for the weapon as he lined up a shot. He glanced over to Ash, who'd done the same. "You go first."

Concentrating, the kit lined up and fired, the pair watching as a little metal spark sprang out from the white target cover, a whiskers width down from striking home. Ash flinched back, his ears folding down, but he closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. "Just a bit further away, didn't realise it would drop…" he said to himself, before pulling back the bolt and loading a new round in.

Holding his breath, moving his gun up a bit, he fired, and with a solid ding the target flipped back. "Ha…" he chirped, as he took aim and fired again.

Another ding.

Another target hit.

Nick looked on, impressed. "You're good at this."

"Thanks," he replied, taking aim again and hitting true. There was a pause from him. "If Kris tried, he'd be better, but I don't mind."

Nick looked away awkwardly. Part of him wanted to reassure him that it may well not be the case. However, a larger part of him also knew that Kris probably would be better; the silver fox had a truly extraordinary paw-eye coordination, making him a dab paw at everything he did. More to the point, if Nick said otherwise, Ash would know he was lying, which would prompt him to act like any teen would do to a dumb adult repainting the truth, blow it off and get irritated at the lack of trust or respect. At least, now, Ash seemed at peace with the fact. He wasn't hurting.

"So…" Ash carried on. "Are there any Olympic sports that are just the shooting?"

"Pretty sure there's a good few," Nick replied, as Ash set off his final shot. It hit the target right in the centre.

"And anyone who competes there is an athlete – whatever sport it is?" he carried on, an edge of hope sneaking into his voice.

Nick rolled his eyes, he could guess where this was going. "Pretty much," he said, as he saw Ash give an excited fist pump. The fox cop then lined up his shots, hitting all of them, before they moved on to a more difficult range, with smaller targets that were further away.

Nick pinned all of them bar one, which was a silly mistake on his part.

Ash overcompensated the first, undercompensated the second, but had worked it out by the third.

"Your dad taught you well."

"Just a little, I needed to defend myself against a goose."

Nick scoffed a little. "They might hiss like snakes, but are geese…?" He trailed off as Ash gave him a certain look, and then gave him the basics of his little mission.

…

"Well, she didn't stomach that well…"

Ash gave a little laugh, before rolling his eyes. "Good one."

"Thanks," Nick replied, smiling. "So, your dad thinks you can be a ranger now. Feeling fantastic?"

Ash opened his mouth to speak, only to trail off. Nick looked on concerned, his ears folding back, and he laid out his paw next to the teen, ready and waiting.

He looked at it and sighed. "I should," he muttered, looking down. "But… I could be that, or I could be a cop, or I could draw comics. I'm learning sign language which I enjoy, but I love music. I… -I don't know what I want to be. -Except an athlete, but that's more of an on the side thing…" He looked up at Nick, his eyes wide and trembling slightly, his ears folded against his skull, and his tail down against the ground, a slight little hitch in his voice as he spoke. "What am I supposed to be?"

Nick looked over at him and felt his heart twinge, and was unable to stop himself just walking over and giving him a hug. Ash twerked uncomfortably, looked around awkwardly, before relaxing just a little. This was okayish.

Letting go, Nick placed his paw on Ash's shoulder. "Now I could do a cliché 'You are Ash Fox' speech which is supposed to be inspirational in the movies, but we all know is a steaming pile of bull cuss in real life," he began, Ash nodding in agreement. "Or I could make you feel a little better by saying that most kids your age feel just like that, it's a part of growing up."

"Were you like that?" He asked, a hint of scepticism in his voice.

Nick laughed. "Oh, I was far worse. I thought everything sucked and nothing mattered." He trailed off and then sighed. "Took a special bunny to wake me up to the truth."

"You really like her," Ash said.

"Well…."

Ash closed his eyes and gave a few quick, exploratory sniffs before speaking again. "I can smell her on you."

Nick's eyes widened. "Well I….! Uhhh… Ummm…" Breaking it off with a few coughs, Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, raising a lecturing finger as he did so. "Do I like her. Yes, yes I do. -Do I more than like her? Yes, yes I do."

"You two are a couple," he said plainly.

"Well," Nick began. "Are we…"

"You are," he said, before smiling. "I guess that's nice." He then paused though, his mouth twitching slightly. "Can't really see myself with anything other than a fox though."

"Well," Nick began, trying to think something up before shrugging. "Bunnies," he said smugly.

"I guess you think she's cute," Ash noted, turning back to his gun. He might as well take a few more shots.

"Well, don't call a bunny that, it annoys them," Nick said. "But, just between us foxes, she is _exceptionally _cute. But it's not just that. It's not just the fact that she put me on a new path of life. She's like this crazy ball of happy determined energy, going on and on and on, trying to make everything better, and she helps cancel out this dark cynical side in me. I guess I also help calm her down, and give her the one-oh-one about how things are in reality when she needs them, so it's a two-way street there." He paused, giving a long sigh, before just staring into the distance. "She makes me want to be a better mammal, she inspires me to go on, she bounces on forwards as a bundle of fluffy optimism, and I want to follow that."

"You mean you want her to lead you?" Ash asked, looking up. He hadn't managed to fire any shots.

"Lead me," he said, "…and tolerate my corny jokes and fantastic dress sense," he continued, giving him a wink.

"I think your clothing is original," the younger fox said.

"Thanks for the compliment, kitto; you have taste," Nick replied, shooting him a finger salute. "We just have tons of fun together, and when she wears herself out after a day of doing good, I get to look after her."

"Isn't that a chore?" Ash asked, confused.

"I…" Nick began, pausing slightly as he tried to find the words. "For her, it's not. It makes me feel good."

"Is it a really good good feeling?"

"I suppose it is," Nick replied. "You'll feel it when your little brother…"

"-Or sister."

"Or sister is born," he said.

…

"Excited?"

Ash shrugged. "I am," he said. "Mum's about a third of the way through now, she's getting a bump. I've also moved out of my room, into the top room. My old room was just above theirs, so they want it as a nursery."

"Ah, the first sacrifice of many," Nick said, gently elbowing Ash.

"Well, the tree further up has grown a lot since the top room was carved out. We were able to make it a lot bigger, so no problem. It also has that new room smell now."

"Well enjoy that while it lasts."

"Right," Ash said, as he looked down a bit. "I helped out with that, it felt good. I also helped with unpacking and cleaning some of the old nursery supplies, and redecorating the room." He paused. "It felt good."

Nick nodded. "Did it feel good as you were making it for your new little sister?"

"Or brother," Ash said. "...and yes. I sort of imagined him or her being warm and safe, and happy…"

"Well, that's a bit like one of the types of love I feel for my bunny," Nick said. "Not the only type of love you can feel, but a type I quite like."

"Oh good," Ash replied, relaxing as he did so. Nick's head cocked slightly, catching on, as the younger fox carried on. "It was just that you, talking about how you loved Judy, it made me think about how I loved... How I loved Agnes, before she left me for Kris. I mean, the way you described love, it's like this super thing, this crazy unstoppable force, and you feel it all around you and you'd go to the ends of the earth for whoever you were addicted to. But thinking back, I wasn't addicted to her. I never got hooked on her. Why didn't I love her like that!? Did I even love her? We called ourselves girlfriend and boyfriend, and we hung out, but… -Why didn't I feel like that!? But there's different types of love, right? So maybe my love isn't broken. I mean I think it is quite a bit, as I… -but maybe I was feeling a different type of love back then, right?"

…

"What did you feel when you hung out with her?" Nick asked, as he scooted over and put a paw on Ash's own.

"Well, she was my girlfriend and I was her boyfriend. We had to look after each other, and go out together; that's what you do when you're in a relationship."

Nick nodded. "Did you enjoy doing that?"

There was a pregnant pause in the air, before Ash nodded ever so slightly.

"Did you find yourself thinking of her while alone, wanting to be with her?"

"I guess," he said quietly. "I think…"

"How many other vixens are in your school?"

"At least three red fox vixens, I think two others of a different species, butI'm not interested in them," he said. "And Agnes is the only one about my age."

Nick nodded. "Maybe you only loved her a little bit," he said. "Not the right vixen for you, but you worked with what you'd got. Now, I can proudly attest to the intense meh-ness of that approach."

A little smile grew on Ash's muzzle. "That's helpful," he said, before looking away. "Maybe I'll see if your kind of love is the right for me," he said, pondering out loud. "Maybe my thing to do in life is to help others."

"Well," Nick said, smirking. "I can think of many worse things to do in life. Just take your time, kitto, you'll find the right track eventually."

"I'd prefer less eventually to more eventually."

Nick nodded, and the pair turned back to the rifle range. A few more shots were taken, some more advice given, but eventually the two called it a day. Signing a little, Nick gestured _'keep it classy, Mr…_', before he made a spitting noise.

Ash nodded, signing back '_I will. I also have a surprise for you when I get back'_.

Nick was curious about that, but was happy to wait and head home. Parting from each other, they headed home, a day well spent.

…

Nick, returning home, settled down in his apartment. Judy, his brand new beautiful bunny girlfriend, would be coming around soon. He rolled that lovely little sentence around in his head, savouring it. They'd been going out for a few meals and sorts, and been enjoying it, but today was a chill out at home day, nice and easy. He also noted how easy it had been to explain himself to Ash. No sense of holding back or apprehension, it seemed like getting his confession out to Carrots had burst the dam on that.

Things were good.

…

A little beep rung out and he picked up his phone. Was Judy running late, or…

It was an email from Ash and, opening it up, he read the message. _'I think this fits your relationship with Judy quite well.'_

Below that was a link and, pressing it, Nick smiled as a song started off. A dance of light guitar notes and the occasional deep base one rang out, carrying on for a few seconds before cutting off. Returning, strumming in a tune that pulled in and out like the waves lapping on a beach, the soft lyrics began. "_I'm looking for a hard headed woman… One who'll take me for myself…_"

Nick smirked. "You always know the right song, Mr…" he said, before making a spitting noise.

_"And if I find my hard headed woman, I won't need, nobody else… -No! Nooo, nooooooo…"_

Smiling as he listened, Nick paused as he heard the door behind him open. Judy stepped in, just as the next verse began.

_"I'm looking for a hard headed woman… One who'll make me do my best."_

Nick should have been embarrassed. He was, a little. But he could _totally_ roll with this. He stood up and walked over to her, smiling as he went.

"_And if I find my hard headed woman. I know the rest of my life will be blessed. Yes! Yes… yeeeesssss…"_

Judy smiled a little and as he held his paws she took them, her tail wiggling a bit. Looking up into his eyes, seeing them cast down with their warm green glow… He'd always been handsome and recently he'd become her boyfriend, but now he felt like _her_ handsome boyfriend, and she liked it. She liked it. She liked it a lot.

_"I know a lot of fancy dancers…_"

They moved together, sweeping across the room.

_"People who can glide you on a floor…"_

Nick swept her along, the thrill sending a tingle down to the tip of her tail, before they paused, looking at each other before settling on the sofa, snuggled up to each other.

_"They move so smooth, but have no answers. When you ask them, -What you come here for? I don't know. -Why?"_

The music played on, but the bunny and fox had their answers. They were snuggled up next to them, and stayed like that the whole sweet night.


	30. MOM(S)!

**MOM(S)!**

.

.

**It's in their DNA to be embarrassing. But some are more embarrassing than others.**

.

.

"So, are you _ready_ Fluff!"

Looking up at her foxy boyfriend, dressed up in his loudest red pawaian shirt, tie and slacks, Judy, in her pink flannel shirt, jeans and sunhat, flashed him a smile. "If you're asking me whether I'm looking forwards to meeting your mother, then yes. Yes am I."

"But are you _ready?" _He teased again, earning a light elbow to his side.

"I'm meeting your mother, Nick. Not going on a bungee jump or something."

"-You mean there's a difference!?" He exclaimed, before shrugging. "News to me."

Judy rolled her eyes and followed him on as they walked down the street. The air was warm, and a lazy mood had been lying over the city of late. Everyone just wanted to laze about, given the capture of Kazar and his cult, relishing in his defeat and the return of safety. Still, Judy couldn't help but frown a bit. Some of his minions had been confessing, explaining that they'd been dropping off bulbs and refined toxin here and there, meaning some was still out there. On top of that, there was this other mammal involved, one who remained a mystery. They'd won the battle, but the war wasn't over yet. In fact, with what had gone down in Tundra Town and with the mobsters, things might even be more volatile than usual. She didn't know in that regard.

But for what it was worth, the city was sleeping a little easier now. Judy and the rest of the force would carry on with their duty, keeping an ear peeled for any bad news.

…

"But are you _ready?"_

_"Niiiick…_"

"What?" He asked innocently. "I need to know if you're prepared."

"Yes, I'm ready to meet your mother," she said confidently.

"Good to hear," he said, putting a paw behind her back. "And just remember, I'll have your back through all of this."

Judy gave him an annoyed glare, to which he shrugged back. "What, I'm just pre-returning the favours you'll give me when it's my turn to meet your parents."

"Or I might just spring them on you as a surprise," Judy countered, suddenly quite liking the idea.

Especially when Nick froze in mock-horror at it. "Oh heavens no, Carrots. That would be too cruel. No time for me to get my anti-Fox-Away gear on, to write my last will and testament, and to pray all the gods I can for safety and protection…"

…

Judy ignored him.

She wasn't offended.

Annoyed?

A little, certainly. She could understand the funny side. Heck, had he made a simple quip about pitchforks she'd have probably laughed, even if it was at the expense of her parents. But the fact remained that it _was_ at their expense, and the things he'd said had hit touched close to home, and he'd dragged it on and…

"_-Judy!?"_

She turned around, pausing as she saw the worried look on his face. His ears and tail were drooping down, and he began walking toward her, almost pleading as he went. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you there, I wasn't thinking…"

Her eyes widened, and she walked forwards, their paws meeting. "It's okay…"

"No," he said dejectedly, looking down to his side and avoiding any eye contact. "I was mean and thoughtless, I was just like I used to be, saying things like you came from Podunk or…"

"-You're standing in wet cement," Judy said out loud, causing him to pause and look down.

…

"No, this is as dry as Sahara Square,' he quipped, before looking up at her. She flashed him a warm smile, and an uncertain one grew on his muzzle. She gave him a wink, and he relaxed further. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Just not the best subject."

"Yeah," he replied nodding. "I really was a dumb fox there."

"No, you weren't," she said, walking up to him again. "You were _my_ dumb fox."

"Well," he said, a tease returning to his voice. "You're _my_ sly bunny then."

"Am I your sly bunny?" she asked, smiling. "Yes, yes I am." And, with that, they took off again. She gave him a few glances as they walked, checking that he was out of his little rut, something he confirmed as he began talking again.

"And here on our right is where I grew up, Happytown Heights!" he announced, as Judy turned to face some of the ugliest buildings she'd ever seen. It was like a square of the city had been levelled out and a mixture of ugly concrete slabs then shoved into the ground. What green spaces there were on her level appeared barren and ugly, though it seemed that weirdly angled houses or parking garages took up most of the site.

Everything was an ugly concrete grey that could make the walls of a jail seem warm, and that was before she saw the bits that were stained, either darker grey from dirt or water leaks, a rusty orange, or any mix of colours from graffiti. She'd have expected that to at least add a refreshing bit of colour, but it just seemed to make everything worse.

"Aaaah, I feel like a kit again. Come on in."

Judy followed him, across a park and up an odd stair tower, before snaking through the estate on a mix of bridges and walkways. As she went, Nick pointed out the sites. "Over there used to be a rodent tower; it could hold a thousand mice families. Sadly, none of them wanted to live here for reasons unknown. Thankfully that meant it was empty the fateful day that a drunk elephant tried to lean on it. And, down here, we have the crack!"

Judy paused, looking down at the small break in the walkway she was on. She nervously hopped over it, while Nick seemed completely unphased. "Aaaaw," he cooed, looking in closer. "I think it's grown."

"Right…" Judy continued, not that convinced. Probably not best to joke about this place. It might be similar to him and her parents. "I'm guessing this place has seen better days."

Nick looked at her and scoffed. "Carrots, Happytown Heights has never had it better!" he boasted, as he led her on to a lift and pressed the call button. "For a start, I press this button and…"

There was a ping as the lift opened up, Nick gesturing at it like a proud parent showing off their kit. "A thing happens!"

Judy couldn't help but crack up a little, and she entered the lift as Nick pressed the right button, sending them on their way up. "Honestly," he carried on, "I was honoured to grow up in a place of such architectural pedigree."

"Huh?" Judy enquired.

"Fluff, this is a bona-fide genuine Le Cormoosier knockoff. Complete with full segregation of size groups, an entire rejection of the frankly outdated and obsolete concept that is 'the street', and a certified promise to reshape society and the lives of the mammals that live here."

There was a soft ping as the lift stopped a few floors early, the door opening to reveal an older swift fox vixen in a stained pink tank top, some fishnet stockings, a cigarette in mouth and a tracking bracelet around her ankle. She gave one glance at the pair in the elevator, dressed in their comparatively smart set up, before flashing them a middle finger and letting the door close again.

…

"And there you have Skye's bio mother," Nick commented, as they carried on rising. "-Didn't know she was out..."

Judy blinked, closing her eyes and remembering. If that was… -Well, there was certainly a resemblance.

"And before you ask, Skye doesn't give a damn," Nick added, as they reached their floor. It was a little walk along the deck, before he reached a door and gave it a knock. There was a brief pause, followed by some rummaging from inside, before it slammed open, an unkempt red fox vixen looking out.

"NICKY!"

Arms out, she grabbed Nick in, hugging him tight. "Nice to catch up with you too," he said with a smile, before stepping to the side. "And this here is Judy."

"Judy Hopps, huh?"

"Yes Ma'am…"

She snorted, a smile cracking on her face. "Call me Marie, bunny cop," she said, happily fussing Judy's head and ear tips. She recoiled slightly, while Marie walked back inside. "Come in, I ordered pizza and it's the middle of the game."

Outside, Judy looked up to see a smirking Nick. He looked down and waggled his eyebrows. "Are you ready?"

She bit her lip slightly before staring forwards. "As I'll ever be," she said, before crossing the threshold. She had the feeling that no other boyfriend-mother meetup could be quite as awkward as this.

.

.

.

.

"Day sixteen of my imprisonment in the fog dimension," Jack spoke, his voice sharp, frank, observational and self-serious in a very sci-fi B-movie way. Warm steam clouded around him, condensation dripping off his fur as he relaxed in the warm pool, a cream coloured paw massaging his head and ears. They stood out against the dark blue colour of the tiling, not that he could see it, his eyes wistfully shut. "I'm not sure if it's a certain Stockholm syndrome that I'm suffering from or cabin fever, but I'm feeling rather at home in this place. Alternatively, the extended isolation might be getting to me. What messages I have tried to send out likely never got past this choking miasma, which I can ever feel percolating into my body. Every breath seems to draw its tendrils in closer. Deeper. Whether this is harmless, or my life already forfeit, I don't know… What I do know though is that I find myself ever fonder of this place and its inhabitants. Maybe I am entrapped in the same dark snares that caught those who came before me. A fly in the spider's web, seduced, unbeknowing of the fate he is about to suffer. To whomever may hear this log, I hope you find the truth out before it is too late. Before you have a vixen's claw approaching that sweet spot. Just a bit further, and further, and a bit too far, and there….. it….. is…"

He settled down, lazing about as he floated above Skye's chest. The vixen, below him, her body in the warm water and face in the hot steam, was content to listen to his performances as the heat and warmth worked their way into her body. She'd been working hard, but today was her day off and she was using it, hard. Full day spa treatment for her and her stress relief bunny. She was enjoying it. Being a weekday, the whole place was quiet, even better. The only downside was that Haida and Retsuko were busy at work, doing the standard office hours…

Was that such a bad thing though?

She did like them, and dates together were nice, but today was a long day. Having them tagging along through all of it might get a bit crowded and tiring towards the end, whereas here and now she could enjoy the calm.

…

"Want something else?" Jack asked.

"Maybe," she sighed. "What about you?"

"I'm in a fine position, with no superstition, about the grace and place, where I can see such a nice face," he said, his voice flowery and embellished. He was improvising, and Skye smiled, wondering where he'd go with it. "Hot water, lapping, healing, with caress of steam floating by. A paw, claws pointed and precise and without a doubt sharp. They float over nerve and locked muscles like minnow, deft and nimble, and with ever subtlety like a trickster, they unlock all where they go. Content here I am, for now, an hour, a day. Let the moon and sun tumble around, free falling around each other like an eternal clock, but let me stay. Let me stay…"

…

A faint clap broke across the mist, a voice speaking out. "That was beautiful," she said.

Skye paused, that sounded like…

"Why thank you," Jack swooned, standing up and giving a slight bow. "It's a pleasure."

"You must be a poet," the voice called again, as a faint rippling broke through the stillness. Whoever it was was getting closer, and Skye bit her lip. It was probably just a stranger…

"I happen to be an actor, writer and director!" Jack said, bit indignantly. "But I guess they all fall under the arts."

"I do a lot of arts and crafts myself," the voice said, getting even closer. Skye could see a figure emerging, and she felt herself cringe a little. There was absolutely, positively, no doubt about this, and no way out. Feeling a bit nervous, she pulled her tail around her, ready to fidget the tip, only to realise too late that it meant pulling it over the bunny on top of her. She was wrapping it around him, right as her mother waded out of the mist.

Jack, meanwhile, was appreciating the new layer of vixen on top of him as he lazily looked up, seeing a rather surprised looking grey fox staring at them. She had a white front and bib and a grey mask and back, as usual for her species, but the latter had plenty of white strands, her age beginning to show. He put a paw up, and gave a lethargic wave. "_Hola_."

…

"Skye…"

She stood up, her eyes almost but not quite looking at her mother, instead darting around a little as she tried to work out what to say. Her mind just tumbled around, unable to tie any loose ends of thought or…

_SPLASH…_

And she'd just tipped Jack in, making this even worse. "-It's… -I can explain!"

"Skye, honey!"

She was too busy to answer. She had to think of how to get it all out, and make sure Jack was okay, and not mess this up even further and make it worse or…

A paw held onto her shoulder and she froze. "It's okay!" Her mother said. "You know I'd never judge you…"

"No," she stammered out before letting out a deep sigh, relaxing. He shoulders sunk down and she spotted Jack standing in the water, safe. "I know, but there's a lot to say and you kind of…"

"Do you need some time, sweetie?"

…

"Yes please," she mumbled out.

"Okay then," her mother replied. "Meet up in the cafe in twenty?"

"Sounds good," she admitted, as she looked back over. Her mother smiled, giving an embarrassed little wave as she slipped back into the mist, leaving her alone again.

She exhaled, before pinching the bridge of her muzzle and shaking her head. That could have certainly gone better, for sure. Her frown grew as she felt a pair of eyes looking at her from the other side, looking for some answers.

"Know her?" Jack asked.

"She's my mother," Skye said, "and this wasn't how I imagined you would meet her." She slowly began standing up, better get out and get this over with.

"How did you imagine it going?" Jack asked, innocently enough.

"Well," Skye began, "I hadn't, really." She found a ladder and pulled herself out of the pool. She could try and think of something to say, something that wouldn't be cringy or anything, as she dried herself off. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be that bad.

She felt sorry for anyone who had something that was.

.

.

.

.

"So, this is your Prince Charming, correct?"

Retsuko nodded, keeping herself civil as she sat across from her mother. The older red panda looked at her studiously.

"Nice to meet you," Haida spoke, as he leant out to shake her paw. "I'm Haida."

"Yes dear, I know," she commented, not breaking eye contact with her daughter. "Couldn't you have worn that dress I got you?"

Choking up at the mention of that frilly gaudy peach coloured thing, Retsuko gritted her teeth, before burying her anger and putting on a smile. "No need, we figured we'd keep things casual."

"She also doesn't like it that much," Haida joked, not noticing his girlfriend's eyes going wide.

"No one asked for your input, deary," she said with a saccharine smile. "Retsuko. Even if it is just a casual meetup, you need to do your best to hold a male's attention."

_I have a boyfriend right here! Can't you seee! CAN'T YOU SEEE!_ She internally shouted, though on the outside she just smiled, only the slightest twitch getting through.

"You know," Haida began. "There's different types of attention, I don't…"

"Hyden, this doesn't concern you."

"It's Hai…"

"-Retsuko, I'm only looking out for you," she said sweetly. "After all your romantic mishaps, and breaking off with so many amazing mammals, you'll be earning a bit of a reputation. They'll think you're not one for commitment, so you'll have to do your best to compensate."

Retsuko smiled through clenched teeth. "Well then it's a good thing I'm planning to commit to Haida here."

Retsuko's mother nodded, and leant forwards to hold her paws. "Well, we all say these things on the rebound," she explained, "but going on…"

Retsuko didn't quite hear what her mother said after that, her mind instead processing it a bit… _differently_.

_"You toss boys by the side, like cold soggy fries,_

_Bouncing about and never settling down. _

_I want you to marry a male of high-quality material!_

_But listen to your mother and wipe off that frown!_

_He's a rebound! He's a rebound!_

"Uh," Haida scolded. "You know I'm right…"

_"You could date a millionaire, or a high ranking businessmam._

_But you turn them down, such a blunder,_

_The hyena earns no more than you, with no chance of cubs too…_

_He's not even that handsome, Mr Snaggletooth wonder._

"-Uh.. -Excuse me!?"

"_He's a rebound! HE'S A REBOUND!"_

"-Now listen here," Haida began, only to get cut off as Restuko thought she'd give her own 'civil' counter to her mother's concerns.

_**"SHUT YOUR FACE! ISN'T THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED?! **_

_**I'VE GOT A BOYFRIEND NOW, I THINK WE'VE REALLY BONDED!**_

_**I DON'T CARE IF YOU DOUBT HE'S SON IN LAW MATERIAL!**_

_**I LOVE HIM AND YOU BETTER KNOW THAT'S BELIEVABLE!**_

_**MEDDDDDLLLLIIIINNNNGGGGG MOOOOMMMM!**_

_**MEDDDDDLLLLIIIINNNNGGGGG MOOOOMMMM!**_

_**DON'T YOU EVEN DARE CALL HIM DENTALLY CHALLENGED!**_

_**I THINK IT MAKES HIM LOOK CUTE, I DON'T CARE IF YOU CAN'T MANAGE!**_

_**MEDDDDDLLLLIIIINNNNGGGGG MOOOOMMMM!**_

_**MEDDDDDLLLLIIIINNNNGGGGG MOOOOMMMM!"**_

Haida peeked out from behind his paws. "Can we dial down the crazy, please!?"

.

.

.

The smell of the wood was still fresh in Ash's new room. It had been hard work carving out extra space and everything was a bit more crowded than before, but he'd settle down. It was hot today, and with no air conditioning he'd resorted to pulling open the windows and stripping down to his boxers.

Drawing pencil and pad out, he was busy doing some sketches of his model train set. He and Kris had been busy, pushing through the final arc of their comic. There wasn't much left to do, but what was left included a rail crash.

He lined two sets of trains up and set them off at full speed at each other, watching as they collided.

…

"Not that dramatic," he noted, before picking up the carriages and trying to arrange them into something more befitting his artistic vision. He was broken off though by a knock on the door.

"May I come in?" His mother asked. "And, to clarify, I'll be coming in in a few seconds either way."

"Just a sec," Ash urged, as he got up and pulled on a pair of shorts and a shirt. As he did so his mother entered and, after sparing a glance at the cabinet under his bed and checking it was locked, he turned to face her.

Dressed in her sunflower dress, one paw over her now visible baby bump, she walked in, looking around. Spotting the train set, a host of materials now stored beneath it to save space, she walked over, a smile growing on her muzzle. "I remember the birthday we got you this."

Ash, walking over, shrugged. "So do I. I was happy."

Felicity Fox looked down at him and sidestepped, wrapping an arm and tail around her boy. "You were jumping around, racing about, then burying your muzzle in the set as you laid down the tracks and got the train running." She looked at him longingly for a few seconds before speaking again. "That was just seven years ago," she said softly, one of her paws beginning to fuss with his ears. "Where did that little kit go?"

Ash, feeling relatively ambivalent about the whole affection routine, coughed a few times. "He's right here."

"I know," she said. "All grown up and so different."

His eyebrows furrowed at that remark, something that his mother noticed. The smile drained from her face. "Sorry," she said, "I…"

"-If I've really stopped growing," Ash grovelled. "Well… Well that's just mean… I'd better not be all grown up now."

It took a second or two for Mrs Fox to relax but, when she did, she smiled. She smiled wide. "You've still got a lot of growing and growing up to do," she said, running a paw over the crown of his head. "Sometimes it seems like all that was yesterday, sometimes half a lifetime ago."

"It was," he said. "For me."

There was a little chuckle, before Mrs Fox sat down on the floor, guiding her son down with her. Holding him closer, not quite sure if he was enjoying this or not, she carried on. "I love you, you know?"

"I do," he said back quietly. He was sort of feeling this affection thing going on. Relaxing a bit further, he could kind of dig it, and he held her a bit closer.

"I just want you to know that," she said, as her other paw went down over her bump, stroking it a few times. "You see, things will be a bit crazy when the new baby comes. He…"

"-Or she."

"I was going to say she. But whoever comes out of me, they'll be scared and helpless, and need lots of attention and care and love."

Ash look up at her and nodded. "I can do that."

"I'm sure you will," she said, proudly. "But I need you to know that I may spend far more time with her…"

"-Or him."

"Or him, and it doesn't mean I don't love you. It doesn't mean I don't cherish you, or worry for you every day. I still love you and care for you, and your father and I will do our best to find the time for you. But you just need to know that you might have to wait a little here and there. Is that okay?"

…

"Well it's a baby, so I kind of knew that," he said.

Felicity smiled. "We thought we did, then you came along. It's always a shock."

Ash nodded. He was looking forward to the new baby, though he didn't really know what it would be like. He'd talked to Brittany in school, seeing as she was a lot older than her little sister, and the things she'd said sounded interesting. It would be a lot of work, hence why he was trying to finish his comic with Kris beforehand, but she said it was worth it.

Hopefully it would be. "Right. Anything else?" Ash asked.

His mother looked at him sadly and shrugged. "If you want it to be."

…

"Maybe in a bit," he said, for her sake, pulling her in closer. He'd give her this little moment that she wanted, hugging him tight…

A bit tighter now, which was nicer.

He'd hug her back a bit in return…. -maybe just a bit more.

Now that he was thinking about it, this could last a little bit longer. Her touch was nice, as was her fussing with his fur, while he enjoyed putting his paw or ear on her growing bump.

He could kind of, sort of, totally, definitely dig this, for a little bit at least. She was his mother, after all. He wasn't going to argue with her when she had his best interests in mind.

.

.

.

"_REALLY RETSUKO, I'm your mother, why you so mean?_

_I'm just being cautious, you're the one causing a scene!"_

"_**DON'T TRY AND PAINT ME THE AS BAD GUUUUUUYYYYY!**_

_**I CAN SEE YOU TRYYYYYYYY! I CAN SEE YOU TRYYYYYYYY!**_

_**DON'T TALK ABOUT MAKING A SCENE FOR A START!**_

_**YOU'RE THE ONE MAKING A SCENE IN THIS RESTAURANT!"**_

_**.**_

Haida, deftly, backed away from the pair of red pandas, ignoring the stares of the many, many, many onlookers. While this may have certainly involved him, he thought it best to leave family matters to his girlfriend and her mother…

Who was now saying that she _did _like him, _honestly, _it was just that she was playing the devil's advocate and her daughter was acting out by not seeing that. Whether that was true or not, a forked tail, some giant yellow eyes and a pair of feathery horn tufts certainly wouldn't go amiss on her.

As for her daughter, she was now responding by imitating a jet engine being fed with gravel. Which kind of turned him on, though now was not the time.

Instead he walked away, right over to the bar, where he sat down. "Excuse me?" he called, getting the attention of the badger bartender. "Any whiskey?"

He looked down as a large bottle was pushed in front of him.

"I was going more for a glass…"

"Well I'm here to give you what you need, not what you want," he said, with a nod to the arguing mother and daughter. "I'll charge you half."

Haida turned back, nodded, before grabbing the bottle and chugging a full quarter of it.

Slamming it down, breathing out, he felt a little better. And then he saw the pair of big furry yellow ears next to him. "Oh, of course you'd be here," he groaned, before flinching as a deep baritone voice barked out.

"You gotta problem with dat, Yena!?"

Looking down, and seeing that the fennec sitting next to him was not the one he'd assumed, he turned back to his bottle. "No…"

"Good," the fennec muttered, before pulling off his jet-black shades. He looked up at Haida, then at the ongoing scene in the middle of the room, then back at his own drink.

He slid it over and left. "Here, have this too…"

"Huh?"

"You need it a whole lot more than I do. Ciao!"

.

.

.

Walking out of the changing rooms, Skye was feeling better. Jack was waiting for her, and, together, they walked over to where they planned to meet up with her mother.

"I guess there's a backstory to the different species thing," Jack said.

Skye nodded. "She and my Dad, who's a swift fox like me, adopted me when I was a baby," she explained, as they turned a corner and saw her. She was dressed in a simple grey dress, inlaid with some native style patterns, while two small dreamcatcher earrings had been put back in her ears. Looking up, she saw the pair and smiled, waving them over.

"Want anything dear?"

"I'm fine mum," Skye replied, moving to sit down but pausing, instead turning to her mother. Their eyes met for a few seconds, before they stood up and hugged.

"It's been too long," the older vixen said as they let go.

"It isn't that long…"

"It was six months ago, when your sister was last in Zootopia."

"So? I'm keeping the same standard."

"Yes," her mother sassed, her eyes half-lidding. "The same standards as an army lieutenant who's stationed in Korea. Isn't it fair to expect more from someone in the same city as us?"

"I still call," Skye defended.

"Once a month…"

"Well, there's not much to say," Skye explained, getting a little flustered. Looking away, her tail moved up into her lap and she fidgeted with the tip for comfort as she continued. "Just lots of work I have to do at the shop, and now this new project at the theatre."

"I understand," her mother said softly. "But we hear so little from you, it sometimes feels like you don't care for us."

"I do!" Skye said, aghast. "I love you… -I just…" She trailed off into silence, looking down and avoiding her mother's gaze.

The grey fox sighed, before holding her daughter's paw. She held back and gripped it, and their eyes met. "I know that you keep to yourself, and even if you love us you don't 'miss us'. But we miss you, Skye. Could you just keep in contact more often? For us? Please…"

Skye gave a slight nod. "I might forget… So how about you call me when you want?"

"Once a week?"

"I… -there'd wouldn't be much to talk about…"

"Maybe I don't care," she said with a smile. A silence held between the two for a while, before the grey fox glanced down and spotted Jack, the striped bunny chewing on a toothpick as he spectated the scene. "And who have we here? Your little poet, Skye?"

"Actor extraordinaire," Jack swooned, bowing in front of the older fox, sending her into a little giggle.

"Well, Skye mentioned accepting a job for you, but not about taking it further," she said, before giggling again. "I'm Siwili, -Siwili Autumn, Skye's mother."

"Jack Savage," he replied.

Siwili nodded, looking at him fondly and chuckling. "Skye with a bunny, and here I thought that it would be my other child doing that pairing." She looked over at Skye. "Though I'm happy for any relationship you get into," she said. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? You know your father and I would never judge."

"I know," Skye groaned, looking down at the floor. "I was going to tell you next time I called. For now though it was private. I could handle it myself."

The grey fox paused, before a smile grew on her muzzle. Closing her eyes, nodding her head, she turned to face Jack. "I'm afraid my daughter 's on her own little island most of the time," she explained. "She likes to keep to herself, not bothering anyone. All private... "

Jack rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm happy to be marooned on her shores, drinking from a coconut while working away on my masterworks. Or snoozing in her lagoon, soft waves of comfort and pleasure rippling over me."

Siwili burst out laughing, before glancing over at her daughter. Skye didn't seem flustered by that bit, so she turned back to the unusually marked Jackrabbit. "So, tell me about yourself," she said, as she looked between him and the vixen next to him. "I want to know everything, and I'm not going to get it by questioning my little swift fox, that's for sure."

.

.

.

"HOW! HOW DID THEY LET THAT SLIDE?!"

"I guess they just did," Judy suggested, as Marie Wilde screamed at the referee's decision. They'd been spending the evening sitting down, eating pizza, having the two foxes discuss 'secret things about bunnies' via sign language and watching that night's football match.

"IT WAS, LIKE, SO OFFSIDE!"

Judy wasn't sure how she could contribute, instead just looking at Nick. The red fox smirked, raised a beer, and then took a sip, before her line of site was blocked by his mother sitting back down again. "Good for nothing idiot, a blind goat could've made that call," she growled, before spotting Judy. "Right?"

"I… Guess…"

She blinked a few times, before looking over the other way, at her son. "You sure this bunny is as cracked up as you think she is?"

She felt her ears go warm, only for Nick to cut it. "As cracked up as those eggs you tried to juggle."

"Oh come on," she groaned, shoving him a little. "That was one time!" Before Nick could reply, the shrill call of a whistle came from the TV, prompting another outcry from the vixen. "DAMMIT! A DRAW!" She stood there, looking at the TV venomously with her tail swishing behind her, whipping out at the end of each wag.

…

"Who wants ice cream?"

Before Judy could even process the change in demeanour, Nick was speaking out. "I do! I do!"

The bunny burst down giggling, before nodding along. "Me too, please."

Marie looked at them and nodded, before walking off towards the kitchen, Nick and Judy left alone. The fox was relaxing back in the sofa, seemingly content, before noticing the odd look his girlfriend was giving him.

"Not what you expected?"

"Not quite," Judy understated, quite dramatically.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Tell me if this sounds familiar. Peppy bunny meets extraordinarily handsome fox with a tragic backstory, and wonders about his mother. She starts imagining, and comes up with one of two possibilities. One is that Mama Wilde is a complete sweetie of an old lady who loves her son, if being a bit disappointed in his life choices. She's full of kindness, sage advice, and bakes cookies on Sundays while shipping us harder than anyone ships anything, not even Mooearsk. The other is that she's a sharp tongued cunning little vixen, with enough sass and attitude to make my tail droop between my legs in shame at my life choices, hence why our relationship was shattered up more than post-snap Spiderpig until you came along and inspired me to mend it. Am I correct?"

…

Nick smirked. "I'll take that stunned silence as a yes, then."

Nodding her head, Judy found her voice again. "Yes. She is a bit different from what I expected…"

"Yup," Nick said with a smirk. "But she's my Ma', and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Well, if you want a mix of those two previous mothers, I can introduce you to my one."

"Hmmmm. Tempting," he said. "I was joking earlier, but it would actually be nice to meet with the pair who made the first bunny cop."

Judy smiled back, only for it to falter a little. "Well, it was mainly me who did the bunny cop thing. While they didn't actively stop me, they were more 'lay low and settle' than 'shoot for your dreams' kind of mammals. They even celebrated when I was stuck as a meter maid 'cause they figured I was safer there."

Nick looked on, a curious look on his muzzle. "You know, if you had been adopted by mother, she'd have pushed you to go for it, no matter what. She treated me like I was the most precious thing in the world, who could do anything and do no wrong, and woe betide anyone who dared say otherwise." There was a pause, and then a chuckle. "Whereas your parents would have probably read me the riot act and tried to set me right."

"It wouldn't have worked," Judy said. "I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have settled for carrot farming."

Nick shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. But blueberry farming? Now there's a career I can get behind!"

Judy snorted. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Well, I might not be that good at it, eating the produce and all," he said, before going quiet for a few seconds, looking up at the ceiling, deep in thought. "But a big family that cared for me, and parents who would call me out and set standards above 'don't do crimes'? You never know…"

"No," Judy mused, before smiling. "But I think things worked out quite well."

"Funny thing, Fluff," Nick said with a smile. "I think the same thing too."

Judy smiled and nodded, as she looked at him.

Her boyfriend…

They'd been hanging out for a bit, and they'd been enjoying it. She'd loved the times he'd been romantic, and it had been just plain fun. But she hadn't quite felt that spark yet, that flaming passion of love that he must have felt for however long. But now, looking at him… Well, he was certainly a handsome fox, and a little cuddle sounded good. She shimmied up next to him, smiling as he was taken by surprise, before it mellowed down into a warm content smile. Paws around him, which felt good, and his paws and tail around her. That felt even better.

His mother came back in with bowls filled with frozen treats, and they settled and talked, all enjoying this. Judy recounted some of their exploits, Marie cheering them on, and by the end Judy couldn't help but think that she quite liked this version of Nick's mum.

Eventually, Nick had to leave to go to the bathroom, leaving the two girls alone. Marie looked down, a serious face on her muzzle. "Now that we're all alone, I want you to promise me something, Bun."

Her ears going up, Judy turned to face her.

"I want you to promise you will NEVER hurt my little Nicky. You got that?"

Judy nodded her head. "I promise."

"Good," she said, smiling as she settled down. "You gotta care for him, you understand?"

Judy smiled. "I will."

"Double good," Marie said. "He's a softie like his father and he bruises easily, you understand?"

"Right," she agreed, sort of seeing it. He was usually suave and confident, but not letting them see didn't mean that things got to him. She knew better than most that some things really did.

That would have been the end of that conversation, were it not for something else catching her interest. Something that Marie had said. "Say," she asked, suddenly curious. "About his father…"

Marie's ears drooped down a bit. "Yes, poor Johnny," she said, before smiling faintly. Walking over to a frame picture, she brought it over, revealing herself and a wiry tod holding a little kit. She sighed sadly, her voice losing its usual cheer. "It was an accident when Nick was seven. He was doing an electric repair for a neighbour when some idiot turned the power back on. He didn't die then but… -when his friend laid him down to call the ambulance and tan that idiot's hide, he choked on this tongue."

Judy's ears drooped and she leant over, holding her paw. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry. It was a long time ago."

The bunny nodded. "What was he like?"

Marie chuckled. "Oh, he was a bit of a sweetie. You see, back in school he was, like, a loser. Yeah, pretty much a loser. If anything I only took him to prom as he was the last one left. I'm pretty sure I mainly rutted with him out of sympathy too. But then I was up the duff, and I had my new kit to think of, and he came back. Kept talking about needing to be with me and for him, and I didn't know why he was interested in helping me with my kit."

"You know, Nick was his kit too," Judy pointed out.

"Well, duh, but I didn't expect him to care much," Marie said back. "But he did, and he said it was the thing to do. Now maybe it was those hormones talking, but he stopped seeming like a bit of a loser then, and he was such a help in those early months…" Marie looked down sadly, scratching the back of her ear. "I then started to actually love him, and we got married. He was always so soft and gentle with Nicky, he was trying so hard to 'get it right'… Then, just like that, he was gone…"

…

"Oh, he's also sort of the reason Nicky has his middle name!"

Judy blinked, taken by surprise. "Oh, right. What's the story there."

"Well, he liked all these sci fi things, so I thought I'd give Nicky the same middle name of that Captain from Star Trek. I got it wrong though."

Judy tried to keep her lips shut.

She really, honestly, did.

But she burst out laughing.

"Yeah, I goofed," she admitted. "He was just a bit shocked; – said 'thank god we agreed on Nick for his first name.'" She shook her head and sighed. "You know, it's his birthday coming up soon. Nicky and I always binge the movies in his memory then. You're welcome to join us."

Judy nodded. "I'll think about it."

"Good to hear," Marie agreed, before sighing. She leaned in closer, holding Judy's paws, and spoke from her heart. "I hope you make my boy happy," she said. "And hold tight, as life can decide to do horrible things to good people. But, if you're on my boys' side, I'll always be on yours."

"Thanks," Judy said, just as Nick returned.

"Alright, you're both smiling. Should I be worried?" He joked.

Judy smirked at the tod, then looked at Marie. "Say, do you have any baby photos available?"

A cunning grin grew on her muzzle, one she flashed over at her son. Nick rolled his eyes back in return. "I'll take that as a 'you better be.'"


	31. A Ton of Work

**AN: Woohooo, new year, new decade, new chapter! Welcome back, and I hope you enjoy what I have in store for you.**

**.**

**For those of you not that familiar, but still semi familiar, with Aggretsuko, here's a fun fact. Before the main series, it was made up of multiple one-minute shorts, of which I've watched a fair few. Many things were changed between the two, one of the largest being Anai's personality, which went from super over-eager new grad to... well, I think you all know what. Anyhow, like to think that as he settled down in season 2 he reverted more towards his 'shorts' personality, and you'll see a little of that in here.**

**.**

.

**A Ton of work. (****FFoZ S1E13)**

.

_'We have a problem, Buchō.'_

…

_'What!? Can I get some peace this morning? What is it?'_

_'Legal issues.'_

_'Great. This again.'_

_'Actually, no.'_

_'Typical! Just tell me in the car!'_

_..._

"Bye Daddy!"

"Bye Daddy!"

"Bye…"

Slamming his car door shut and setting off, Ton Katsu grunted. He'd been hoping for some damn peace and quiet this morning. Instead his daughters had been up making noise.

Lots of noise.

Why was it that twelve-year-old girls thought Karaoke at 6am in the morning was a good idea!? Weren't they almost teenagers? Weren't they supposed to be sleeping in, to the point where his wife had to use an air horn to get them up?

If they kept up these antics, he'd start making them study. He hadn't had the luxury of being able to lie in when he was young! No, he'd been woken up bright and early to do schoolwork, and to get to school early for sports practice and other things he hated. THEN he'd spent the afternoon being tutored, to the point where he had to do his schoolwork the next morning, before repeating the entire cycle again and again and again…

And it had been worth it. He'd made it. He'd paid his dues and risen to the top of the pile, and all he asked was that he got some peace and quiet when it mattered.

But no…

Even when he gave the next generation an inch of slack, they took a mile. If they kept on getting up this early and distracting him, then they'd be finding themselves doing extra tutoring sooner rather than later.

…

And then there was that new interruption, as if he hadn't suffered enough.

Still, he could relax for a little bit. His radio was on and he listened to the news as he began powering down the road and towards the motorway. Traffic was moderate, but not congested, and things were going well.

He was in his car, a big modern vehicle that ran smoothly, despite the great power under his foot. He was peaceful, for now.

"_And once more, the ZPD would like to remind citizens to be aware of any threats and danger. In a statement last evening, Chief Bogo of Precinct One reminded the city that, despite the recent defeat of the terrorist group, there is still a lingering Nighthowler risk. It is suspected that they were passing on some bulbs to other organisations, who may remain active. Despite this, when pressed, he admitted that the risk, for now at least, is significantly reduced…"_

Ton grumbled. Damned plants. If he had his way, he'd ban them. Heck, it wouldn't be that hard to try and make them extinct or something, wouldn't it? And then no more problems.

Just get it done.

…

And, while he was on that sentiment, he might as well do it. As he stopped at a set of lights, he scrolled down the console touch screen and pressed the right number, his phone dialling out as the light turned green. Pushing forwards, he made his way to the slip road and had merged into the traffic when it went through.

_"Buchō?"_

"Cut to it, Ookami," Ton grumbled, as he began barrelling down on the city centre, his speedometer climbing up and teasing eighty.

_"I was forwarded a set of emails by the legal department,"_ his underling replied. _"The ZPD want us to forward some key files on. Nothing more."_

"Pah… They think they can ask us to do that without a warrant?"

_"No, sir."_

Ton grunted. "Of course not. Tell them no, then."

_"Ah, sir…"_

"-They probably want me to do it so they can get me for data protection breaches," he muttered. That's the way they worked, wasn't it? Try and damn you if you do, damn you if you don't. The only way to beat them was to call their bluff, or to throw someone else under the bus… And he wasn't about to offer up one of _his_ employees.

_"Well, no sir..."_

"Or they're harassing Kabae again," he said, his fists tightening. If they thought they could humiliate her further, then they had another thing coming!

_"It's to do with the tax returns of a client, and they have a warrant."_

"Hmmm…" He grumbled. "I can deal with that. We can talk later."

_"Understood. See you at work."_

"You too."

…

That wasn't bad, but it was a nuisance. Still, at least he could have a bit of peace and quiet for himself today. He flicked his radio back on and pushed forwards. Being so early, it didn't take long to get in and he pulled into the Yakatomi Plaza car park just as another car arrived, Ton watching as the big M3 park next to him. Ookami got out, dressed in his white shirt and tie along with a pair of golden aviators and a bluetooth earpiece, which he slipped away before pulling out a shopping bag full of green fruit and other salad supplies. He then locked his car before the pair made their way to the lift.

"You're early," Ton grunted.

"I have a side hustle, Buchō," Ookami said, a little wistfully as he pressed the call button.

Ton didn't care that much. It didn't affect the business and, while he'd normally be annoyed at any intrusion into his private time, Ookami usually kept himself quiet. Besides, there was work for both of them to do.

The lift chimed and the door opened revealing the mirrored interior, the pair pausing as they saw the rear end of Marketing Director Gori stuck up right at them.

"Arghhh... Now that side looks bad. Just add some makeup here, and here," she muttered to herself, a strange hint of nerves in the gorilla's voice. "Damn, why does it take so hard to get myself done up! Confidence, need to show confidence… Can't let anyone see otherwise or -hello you two!"

"Morning," the pair replied as they got in, pressing their floor button. Gori stood up rigid between them, her face a confident and cool mask with a slight interruption from the half-done lipstick.

"Uh, Senpai?" Ookami said, raising a finger.

Gori, her face still a mask, brought up her lipstick and finished it off. Now all that was left was the rest of her finer details and such. The door opening, she held herself tall and walked out with powerful small strides in her heels, like she was the baddest bitch in the room, as the door closed on her.

Not quite fast enough to hide her bolting for the ladies room though.

Ton couldn't help but laugh, bending over before turning to face Ookami. "Pah! Look at that, a dumb woman getting in a fuss over some dumb face paint. As if they think I give a damn. Did you see how weak and emotional she is? The 'cool' director Gori, getting in a fuss just like that. Hah! Shows that even if they look strong, they're just hiding it. What next? Maybe we'll see Secretary Washimi succumbing to her womanly instincts? Maybe she's plucked out her chest feathers to line a nest, as if she -was-a-mother-she'd-be-a-wonderfully-selfless-and dedicated-one. Morning, Washimi."

He turned and bowed to the new occupant of the lift, who'd entered without him knowing. She was a very rare sentient secretary bird, most likely the only one in the city (if not country) of Zootopia, and she acted like she ruled the roost, strutting between the two mammals and standing up tall and stoic. While taller than Ton, her avian body and tightly tailored blouse and skirt meant that she was incredibly lithe and seemingly delicate, something her long lashes and decorative feathers added to.

Ton put on a smile and nervously looked away. "Of course, the feather comment was made in complete sincerity… Like I'd talk about a dedicated marsupial mother changing her pouch liners regularly. It was no comment made or directed against sentient birds, or yourself…"

Ookami coughed a few times. "Morning, Washimi-sami."

"Morning," she said formally, turning to face him. "Do we know each other?"

"I'm Ookami. Do you have any updates on the warrant issue?"

"We'll be getting a visitor around ten," she replied. "As agreed, I'll forward on the details."

He gave her a little bow, to which she nodded, before turning to Director Ton. "How are things in the accounting department?"

He relaxed a little, clearing his throat. "Working well, this little…"

_THWACK!_

He flinched back as she let loose a powerful leg stomp, karate chopping down onto the lift's handrail. "It wouldn't be the first time I've talked to the CEO about your conduct."

And, with that, the lift stopped with a ding. She stood up, giving a quick nod to Ookami, before walking out like the baddest bitch in the room she was.

…

"I like Washimi-Sami," Ookami noted happily.

"Of course you would," Ton grumbled, as they began rising again. "You're both mammals…"

"-She's a bird, Buchō."

"-Who's faces barely move when they talk. I couldn't read hers for nothing!"

"That could be due to a lack of facial muscles."

Ton was silent for a second or two before huffing. "Good. It seems that I'm not losing my edge." With that, the pair exited their lift and went out onto their floor. The main workforce wasn't due to arrive for at least an hour, so there would be some peace and quiet at least.

Ookami quickly assembled his standard breakfast, a salad that was 90% made from the fruit he'd brought, tomato like things called 'wolf apples'. Ton had tasted them and didn't get the hype, but apparently it was a dietary thing like pandas and bamboo. Regardless, the maned wolf settled down to eat them while pushing through some overtime work he needed to do, leaving the director to scan through the work that had been forwarded his way. Most of it was internal accounts checking, probably the most boring and remedial thing there was, which made it perfect to pass along to his lower underlings.

On the other trotter there were a few more complex memos. One included a much more complex cost review exercise; he'd have to pick out a team to do it while firing off data-requesting emails to other departments, who would most likely respond to them the same day that Dawn Bellwether got out of prison, Washimi remarried her mythical albino peacock ex-husband and he grew a blonde ponytail and changed his name to Susan. Finally, there was…

He grumbled as he saw what it was. Apparently, the CEO wanted each and every different department to plan a pride festival display.

What on earth did that have to do with accountancy!?

His job was numbers and laws, not that kind of stuff, and all it would do would act as a distraction. As far as he was aware, no one in his office was even part of that community. Best thing to do would be to set some unimportant lowlings onto it.

Speaking of which, that red panda and the new graduate did a good job at the equally dumb family day celebrations, and being younger they'd most likely be more in tune with what was needed. He guessed that that was as close as he could get.

So, he turned back to the cost review, grabbing his abacus and beginning to filter through the numbers. By the time the first of his workers began to enter, he'd sent off a chunk of emails and worked out a strategy. Tsubone was in, and she tended to be a high-level worker with spare time on her claws. He called the komodo dragon up and informed her, gaining much support from a third party.

"An excellent choice as always!"

Looking down, he saw Komiya, the perennial yes-mammal meerkat standing there.

"It really, really is," Tsunoda, the dik-dik/micro-deer doe added.

Yeah, that confidence felt good. Damn good, though of course it would, it was his idea! "Very well," he said, looking down. "If you two would help her."

"A brilliant idea, sir!"

"Wow, I'd be honored…"

"Then get a move on," he said, as he waved them off. He went back to his desk and sat down, smirking to himself.

…

Those two were the most blatant unabashed tail-kissing suck ups he'd ever met. It was almost embarrassing that they thought they were getting away with it, though in fairness they sort of were.

The key to any good accountancy and management schemes was to take advantage of any cushy or suck up deals you could get and use them, while knowing exactly what they were and knowing when and how to back out. Having them fawn over him was always a damn nice thing that he deserved and he treated them well because of it, but there was a limit to how far they could go. Their work was good, so it would be far, but not too far.

After all, they'd also need to show that they could stick up for themselves and raise concerns, however much mammals higher up punched down. Conversely, choosing their battles was important too. Things like the pride festival task meant nothing to him and wouldn't cause any problems if he toed the line (and likely a whole lot if he did object), so no reason to fight there.

It was why Ookami would likely be the mammal who'd replace him when he eventually left. Though soft spoken and respectful, he'd raise his own issues and ideas.

Maybe in the future Anai would rise that far too. If he tamed himself, that was. He was swung out far too much the other way.

…

Then there was Retsuko, just coming in with her two friends.

Calendar Girl, though her days didn't seem that numbered anymore.

She was a good worker, and could stand up for herself, but she was ditzy. Inexperienced. She could slip or daydream or run after an idea and burn out. He'd respect her a lot more if she finally planted her feet in the ground some time, rather than running about like a headless chicken.

Anyhow, he had a task for her and Anai. The last one ended up good, so maybe this was something she could root herself on. He called them over, and explained it.

.

.

.

"And given that, I thought that you two could do it again!"

He sat back smiling, before it faded as he looked at Calendar Girl. She had the same startled look that a caught and dead fish had, and he ground his teeth a little. Just as he'd been thinking before, he was a gift giving horse and she was going to look him right in the mouth.

"But, but," Retsuko stammered, before painfully failing to hide her concern under a fake smile. "I'm not…"

"Neither am I, and I got the request!" Ton barked. She really was slow on the uptake. "The head boss wants us to do stuff with rainbows on it because he thinks that it'll make mammals like the company more, so we'll do it. We don't have a choice, and with you being a wide field Inter you're probably the closest we've got."

He guessed. He really didn't know how that stuff worked, it wasn't important to his job, but he'd seen her with an onager. Small pred with a big prey, that was probably far wider than a vixen with a vixen or something.

"O… -Okay," she said, smiling.

Ton nodded, only to pause as Ookami walked up. There was something a bit off about the maned wolf, as if he were embarrassed or something.

"Buchō?"

"Got something actually important?" he asked.

"Two things," he said, before running his fingers against each other and glancing around. "Firstly, I heard about this pride thing," he said, his voice lowering a bit. "I'd be happy to organise it instead. I don't really tell anyone, but you could say I'm a member of that community."

Anai immediately perked up and turned to him, standing straight and saluting. "I'D LIKE TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON THE STRENGTH AND BRAVERY IT TOOK TO COME OUT, OOKAMI-SAN."

"Don't shout it out!" He shot back, glancing around at the slightly alerted office.

"As a proud ally, I'd like to be the first to tell you that it's nothing to be ashamed of or…"

"-Just because I want to keep it private doesn't mean I'm ashamed of being gay!"

"Understood!" Anai barked back, giving a quick nod of his head.

Ookami looked around at the now actively non-looking office, his tail giving long moody sweeps with a flick at each end, before he sighed and turned back to Ton.

Ton looked back, his hooves coming together and tightening. "-Good, it seems we're lucky," he said. "You can run it, those two can help with it and your workload." He still didn't care that much about pride but, with Ookami suddenly becoming the most qualified mammal to do this, he'd certainly take advantage of it. It still wasn't that important in the grand scheme of things though. He turned to the two underlings and waved them off as the maned wolf leant down, forwarding some papers. Now this likely was something important.

"A few days ago, City Hall rolled out a new set of tax law proposals. I was asked to do a review by sales on how our current minimisation strategy holds up were they to be implemented, and any alternatives. I'm confident in my analysis of the former, though I feel I need a second opinion on the latter."

"I'll look at it," Ton said. He read through the memo and already knew the rough impacts before he read the report. Reading on, he was proven right, as was Ookami's assessment of the current scheme. A small hit, one that a new routine should avoid. A quick scan through Ookami's proposed changes and Ton nodded. It seemed fairly good, though he was pretty damn certain that he could work out something better.

Any consideration of that though was broken off as his phone rang. He picked it up, nodded, and listened in.

The cops had arrived.

.

Walking in with the officer, a cheetah by the name of Catano, he spared a glance at a slightly fretful Kabae. "It's nothing," he said to the hippo, as he led the cop to his desk, sitting down on it hard. "What's needed?"

"I'm sure you're familiar with Tundratown Limo's Incorporated."

"Yes, they went down for tax evasion a while back or something," Ton said. Losing that customer had been a minor annoyance, though the heiress of its CEO had turned to them to formalise her remaining accounts, a short term (target reaching) positive. "I guess you'll be wanting their records," he said, watching her nod before leaning out over his desk. "Haida?"

"Yes sir," the hyena replied.

"Get the copper the records on Tundratown Limo Service."

There was a surprised and excited look in his eyes, likely from working with a cop or something, as Ton turned back to Catano.

"We'll want the deep records as well."

The pig paused, thinking. Why would they want to double check that? Either way, it wasn't his department. "You'll need to ask Technical," he told her, to which she nodded.

Off she went, as he got out his abacus and worked on his little alternative.

…

…

This might be good.

…

Hang on. No, maybe…

He looked up briefly and saw the cheetah cop talking to a very enthusiastic Retsuko, Fenneko and Haida. They were discussing things, and looked far more enthusiastic than he'd expected them to.

Probably sharing gossip and such, the young red panda's head filling up with those unreachable fantasies.

.

…

Back to work and a smile grew. This was getting somewhere…

"Excuse me?"

He looked up, seeing the cheetah cop there again. "Yes?"

"Did you send an internal email with some tax forms from Tundratown Limo Service?"

"Probably," he said, shaking his head. "I wouldn't remember what day."

"It's just that one of your workers said that you sent her one, then forgot about it right away."

"What, that one?" He asked, looking at Retsuko, his eyes narrowing. "She was just being delusional." He huffed, opening his sent mail file and scrolling down. "Which day?"

"That one."

He paused, looking through it. "See, nothing! You can even check on the hard archives if you want."

Catano looked in and nodded. "Understood," she said, a bit quietly. "Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome," he said as she left, letting him get back to business.

.

.

…

"This is looking good!" He said, as he finished off with a final few flicks of his abacus. He put it down, looked over the results, and sniggered.

Those dumb clients screwed themselves over with their tax evasion. He, meanwhile, had just set together a very good and legal tax reduction strategy. Had they employed him as more than an auditor, he could have done the same for them.

Idiots.

"Ookami!" He called, the maned wolf coming over. Ton pushed over the documents, smiling proudly as the maned wolf read through. The canine's amber eyes widened. "Five percent…"

"Over your idea," Ton revelled.

"Buchō, this is incredible. It's even better than our current strategy!"

"Your plan had merit, but it was trying to modify the old one," Ton lectured. "Sometimes you need to uproot and start from scratch."

"Understood, sir!"

Ton watched him walk off, before settling back into his chair. The only stuff left for him to do that day was the baseline gruel, and that was what the lower workers were for! He could spend the rest of the day relaxing, maybe doing some golf swings, with platitudes being spilled onto him by Tsunoda or Komiya.

That would be nice.

Feet up, he could enjoy today.

He deserved it.

After all, his new plan could save the company tens of millions, maybe hundreds in the long run. That was the high-level stuff that he was here for, that only he could do. After all, if your operation was entirely dependent on a single button being pressed every day, and that button could only be pressed by one person in the world, your button pusher got and deserved what he wanted.

He'd pushed his button for the day, and not much else was owed from him.

.

.

.

After showing off a few golf swings and going off to the toilet, he began walking back. Lunch was coming up, and then a nice peaceful afternoon. Pausing as his phone vibrated, he pulled it out to scan through the emails, slipping into an alcove and reading through them.

He went silent though as he heard the sound of Retsuko and her posse.

"-I mean an actual police officer, coming to chase up the lead I found," she gushed, Ton pausing and staying silent.

"Yeah, and I bet Ton looked shocked when she found the email 'he didn't send'," Haida added. "The cop being a girl is the cherry on top."

"He likely doesn't remember," Fenneko countered, as she tapped through her phone. "Or maybe he does, maybe he denied it for some nefarious reason."

"He's a misogynist jerk, but he's not a criminal," Retsuko replied. "And that cop knows Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde too!"

"Too bad for protection protocols," the vixen noted.

"Yeah, I kinda want his autograph," Haida added.

"Fan boy," Fenneko dismissed. "I'd much rather see Ton's face when he found out he missed out on our tax tattler reward."

"Or when we become tax detectives," Retsuko chirped, "we have the experience."

"Just need the opening," Haida added, smiling.

Fenneko did so too, before pausing. "Or, real detectives."

They all paused, looking towards her. "What do you mean?" Retsuko asked.

"Most PI's are professional glory hogs who want action and fame, and most official detectives are police officers with on foot and combat experience. While trained up, it's not like they have major knowledge of tax laws, or experience in looking through financial data. In reality, more and more of that work is just that, not to mention the regular accounts a private business needs doing."

"Fenneko," Retsuko gasped. "Are you saying we could be real detectives?"

"Have you seen her social media powers?" Haida remarked.

"I looked," she began, as she scrolled through her phone. "There are a number of subsidised retraining schemes, to get us from accounts and into official detective work. Some private companies set up work and learn schemes too. Both would be a pinch to our earnings, but we could get through it without dunking into savings."

…

"I… I think that sounds amazing," Retsuko said, getting all giddy before calming down. "I mean, we should be careful, obviously. But… Well, the feeling of taking down a mafia empire was amazing enough."

"Heck, just having the skills in demand and getting to choose our own boss would be worth it," Haida added.

"I want to look into this," Retsuko said, as they began to head off. "It's just so much more, something bigger, something better, something I can grasp. Together, with you guys…" She carried on talking as the trop slipped off, turning a corner, their voices trailing off into nothing.

.

.

…

Ton slipped out of the alcove and carried on his way. He had a lot to think about. A lot of news that intrigued him, annoyed him, worried him.

Something was up, he knew that for sure. With that email… Maybe it was one sent ages ago but got lost in the system, only then popping up?

Yeah, that had to be it, irritating as it was.

On the other trotter…

He was their boss, and Retsuko had always been spineless. Not a suck up or a toady or someone who held their own.

She was a flip flopper, between this and that, someone with no backbone.

He didn't have a high opinion of mammals like that, though if they worked for him it was his duty to stop them flipping themselves into a fish chummer. Yet…

She'd gone behind his back to do something that was right and reaped the rewards. She had new ideas, and was going towards them with enthusiasm and caution. Oh, she may be disloyal, but that wasn't something new

In a way, he sort of hoped she'd carry on towards this new dream of hers, holding it firm.

Because, despite all else, it meant that she'd finally grown a spine. She could look after herself.

And that was something he could respect.

.

.

**AN: This will be the last of the oneshots for a good while. Coming up next week is a three-parter that I'm super excited about, see you then.**


	32. Skye's Fall 1

**FFoZ S1E14**

**Skye's Fall (Chapter 1)**

**.**

Night had fallen over the Rainforest District and the lights were coming on. Streetlights reflected on the puddles and cascades, window lights bounced off of the raindrops, while the reds and oranges of cars diffracted through the evening mist.

The most amazing lights though were at a formerly exclusive rodent sized resource, newly opened up for the wider and larger public. Larger mammals were visiting it for the first time, including a rather diverse set of four. A swift fox, a tehuantepec jackrabbit, a red panda and a spotted hyena.

"This place is magical," Retsuko said, gasping as she looked around. They were walking alongside an illuminated water channel, the lights beneath it creating an azure glow below the wafting weeds. Every now and again they'd pass a small cascade, lights shining through it like a prism, a whole rainbow of colours the result. "Right under my nose the whole time and I never knew."

"Heh," Haida chuckled as he walked beside her. "It only opened last week or something. I only found out about it by chance."

"Well, it's been here for a while," Skye added in, as she walked over to the side of the channel. It had been made out of jet-black slabs of rock and, looking closer, the vixen saw areas where lichens were growing, or where the sealing mortar was thin. "Hmmm… Quite a while in fact. Mustn't have been open to the public."

"Maybe this was an art project by some rich guy," Retsuko mused, looking around. Fairy lights, twinkling and shining, hung above them like fireflies. "It's a nice hobby to have."

"Really put his back into it," Haida commented, before turning down to the fourth member of their group. "Work of artistic passion, huh?"

Jack looked up and nodded. "I guess," he said. He was taking it lazy today, just relaxing and looking around. "The surroundings are certainly nice, though I'm not sure if there's a deeper meaning to it or anything."

"Maybe he just wanted to make something pretty," Retsuko chirped, smiling. "Something for everyone to enjoy." Looking down, she noticed a rodent sized path, a small group of mice on bikes zipping along it. They went into a tunnel in the basalt channel and, peering into it, she could see them ride through a clear passageway beneath the stream, similar to the types seen in aquariums. They paused in there, just looking around, seeing the flow above them as it wafted the weeds back and forth.

"Well," Jack said, a little flair in his voice. "You can make something very beautiful, or heart-rending, or exciting. But a nugget of some fundamental truth can always be slipped in there, acting as a rallying call to the viewers. Flaring their passions, or convincing them of something they didn't even expect to be convinced of. A bit of work, and this whole thing could tell a story or stories, some deep narrative or philosophy. Enriching each piece of eye candy that we witness in our tour of it and ourselves at the end."

His words rang out before fading, replaced by the slight babble of the stream. Haida, nodding along, looked at him, noting that the normally relaxed jackrabbit was a lot more perky than usual. "Had a coffee finally kick in?" he asked, smiling.

Jack looked up at him, a slight flash of indignation crossing his face. He stood up tall and boasted out. "The coffee kick of an artist in his passion," he said in an exaggerated prideful tone, as if he were giving a retort to an insult. A little flicker of a smile though showed that he was just hamming it up.

Haida nodded, seeing it, and smiled along as he looked around. "I'm afraid I agree with Retsy. Things can just be pretty."

"Maybe this artist was just seeing how far he could push that," Skye offered. "I quite like it when mammals try and push things to the limits, see how far they can go." She paused, looking around thoughtfully. "I'd be interested in seeing what this was like before the installation. If these were all existing features and the designer tried to push the limits on what could be done with them."

"I don't mind if this is all artificial," Retsuko said, smiling as she saw a set of glowing lights float down past her. "I'm happy enjoying it here and now. It puts me in my happy place!" She went quiet as she watched the floating lights drift away, before a loud rumble rang out. Looking down, rubbing her stomach, she blushed slightly before looking at the others. "I'm also hungry."

"Well," Haida said, as he pulled up a picnic basket. "Good thing I prepared some stuff. There's a place great for eating food further up and there's no rainfall scheduled for later on, so we can take our time and enjoy it."

The surrounding entourage nodded and off they went. It wasn't long before they arrived at the spot in question. A circle of tiered stone steps surrounded a central pool, almost like an ancient coliseum. Groups of mammals had found places to sit here and there, enjoying a rest or food while enjoying the lights around them. Hundreds of colours flashed or morphed or even fluttered in the trees and air, while every now and then the running lights of a sky tram would trace this way or that across the open top of the glade. Even the water was bright, the shallow bed lit and ever shifting in its hue and tone. It was covered in mossy rocks, so only their edge lit up, but this added to the effect. When red or orange, the four mammals almost seemed to be looking over a bed of coals before the embers shifted again.

While entranced, the four still made their way to a nice spot and settled down, not that far from an empty pavilion designed for mice. Haida, opening his basket, brought out a mix of food. Some homemade, most store brought, but all treated with pride.

"The wraps are mine," he clarified, as Skye held up a slightly uneven tortilla wrap. Sniffing it, she smelt something similar to pad-thai in there before taking a bite.

Satay chicken chunks, with a mix of salad stuff thrown in. Swallowing down she smiled. "Oooh, I like this. It's nice."

Haida let a goofy smile slip onto his face. "Thanks!" The smile only increased as Retsuko moaned beside him, eating her own wrap. Breaded and fried turkey cutlets had been cut up and put in, with salad stuff and tonkatsu sauce added. Looking at Jack, he picked up another wrap and passed it over. "This is the same as hers, only it uses tempeh instead of turkey. Unlike the meat, I had to bread and fry it myself."

Jack sniffed the meal and took a bite, smiling as he enjoyed it while Haida gave a fist pump. Swallowing it down, he smiled. "Nice. I grew up on fried pepper and bean wraps, but this is a clever twist."

Haida nodded, confident and happy, and he helped himself as the four ate. The wraps were tackled, as were the nibbles and deserts, though it was clear there was a lot left over.

"Guess that's the next few days food," Skye commented.

"Yeah," Haida said, as he pulled out a cupcake, a few attempts at decoration sprinkled on the top. "I was actually worried that I hadn't made enough."

Retsuko giggled. "You forgot we're not hyena's, didn't you?"

The hyena in question laughed a little before shaking his head. "Retsuko, I'm not that ditzy. I just wanted enough in case Jack and Skye invited the nighthowler heroes too."

"Ah," his girlfriend said, nodding in agreement. "I guess they couldn't come."

"I asked Jack if it was okay. I guess they couldn't make it." He looked over at the striped bunny, who lazily shrugged.

"They said it was too short notice and they were already booked," he said, as he opened up a tuple ware case and began sampling the fruit salad within.

"I asked you a week ago," Haida pointed out, before looking at his friend a bit sceptically. "You did ask them, right?"

Jack closed his eyes, holding himself aloofly. "I most certainly did."

Looking at him and smirking, Skye spoke. "When?"

"Why," he defended. "I gave them plenty of time. Enough time to ship a chosen good across the continent to any mammal's home, to travel around our planet itself, to…"

"So yesterday," Skye teased.

…

"Early yesterday," Jack defended astutely.

"Hmmmm…" Haida grumbled a little. "Couldn't you have done it earlier?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "I just kept slipping, I still got it to them in the end."

"Well next time I'll ask Skye or call them myself," he said, Retsuko nodding in agreement.

"I do want to meet them," the red panda said happily. "I've heard a lot of good stuff about Nick Wilde."

There was a slight coughing, and three of them turned to face Skye. She looked at Retsuko, a bit confused, before swallowing down her food. "This is the same Nick Wilde, right?"

"Uh-hu," Retsuko chirped. "One of my co-workers actually volunteers to help him on undercover missions and he says he's a great guy."

"Right," Skye said, nodding. "Just… -I knew him for a long time, though he may have changed a lot…" She trailed off, trying to find the words. "Just be prepared for him to not quite live up to the hype."

Retsuko looked at her, thinking slightly. "I'll keep an open mind," she said, "but I still want to meet him."

"Me to!" Haida agreed. "And Judy Hopps."

"She is something," Jack agreed, as Skye prowled over to him.

"Not that they'd get to find out with you dealing with that stuff," she said softly, sitting down next to him.

"Well, that's not what I'm here for," he said, a coy look in his muzzle as he leant back onto the fox's chest. He knew what she was wanting and he had no qualms about giving it. Right on que, a paw pad began massaging his ear, then a full paw, as Skye began a little petting.

"No, it isn't," she said, smiling a little. Looking down at him, he was _exceedingly_ petable right then, and she had no qualms about indulging that silly misfiring instinct anymore. He wiggled a bit closer to her, and she cosied up around him, and they indulged each other.

They were also indulging Haida and Retsuko, who were enjoying the spectacle. She was a bit self-conscious, being in a public area, but she pushed through that as she walked back and sat down in Haida's lap. The hyena was all too happy to pet her too, his face practically glowing as he did so. There was even a rhythmic beat coming from behind him as his tail wagged back and forth intently, so intently that it knocked into Retsuko's phone, the device put on the ground for safe keeping, and knocked it right across the ground and up against the rodent sized pavilion.

"I'll get it," Skye announced before anyone else could react. Letting Jack go, she walked over and grabbed it, pausing as she saw a little notice on the property. Squinting in, she began reading it, just as Haida turned up.

"What does it say?"

"It's just a foreclosure notice," she said. "Something about back taxes…"

Haida nodded, before his eyes widened. Peaking in, he read it closer. "Hey, guess what Retsy?"

"Yes Haida?"

"This place here was owned by the guy we busted!"

"You mean the crime lord?" she asked, walking over. Staring at the little notice, her eyes widened. "So it was."

"Maybe that's why this place was locked up so much," Haida mused. "It was his private place." That smile then grew into a grin as he looked around. "We're the ones who opened this to the world. Go heroes!"

"Yeah!" Retsuko chirped, smiling too.

Jack and Skye looked on, happy for their friends. "Guess it feels good," he said.

"Yeah," Haida chuckled, as he moved back to the picnic basket and began to pack things away, they were mostly done here anyhow. "The money we got is good too!"

"Yup," Retsuko chirped. "It came in and it's official. But being a hero does feel awesome."

Skye nodded as she tidied the last of their things away. Checking that they had everything, they slowly began making their way off. "I guess you'll be doing more of that if you move to this tax investigator firm you were talking about."

"Uh-hu," Haida agreed. "Though it'll be a wait for some slots to open up. The guy in charge said that a few of his workers are retiring in less than a year and the slots will be open for us."

"So, still some time to endure under your bad boss," Skye noted, knowing the stories.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"Unless…" Retsuko began, a slight tease in her voice.

Haida perked up a little and looked down at her. "Are we…" he said, waving his paw a little.

She smiled. "Why not!?"

"Why not what?" Skye asked.

"Tell them," Retsuko added.

Even Jack was getting curious. "Tell us what?"

"Okay," the hyena agreed, coming to a stop. They were on the lowest tier of stones, the girls together at the edge and Jack just besides them. Climbing up a few steps, Haida looked down proudly. "Fenneko was looking around and stumbled upon a detective apprenticeship scheme, for training PI's. With the money that just came in padding our wages until we qualify, we're thinking of applying!"

The other pair gasped, looking at each other, before Skye turned to Retsuko.

"They actually have a lack of people who can process financial data, which is where most of the evidence can come from. They even said they'd push us through and qualify us quickly."

"We'd more be consulting between different PI's," Haida added, "at a very high rate."

"While Fenneko will be doing a lot of internet research and scanning," the red panda finished off. "She can do crazy things with social media."

"Crazy and scary," her boyfriend added, before shivering. "Very scary."

Skye looked between them, gasping, before a big smirk grew on her muzzle. She snuggled right up against Retsuko, giving her a big pat on the back. "Yeah! That sounds incredible," she said. "And I absolutely know what you mean about finances and spreadsheets. The armed forces have exactly the same problem. If you've checked everything, you could really go places."

"If it's your dream, do it!" Jack added.

Haida crossed his arms, a proud smile on his face. "We certainly plan to," he said, before jumping off and down to the others, his foot-paws hitting the ground; the ground immediately sinking with him, the loose stone he'd landed on seesawing under his weight and flinging the two girls at the end up in the air and over the reflecting pool.

"RETSUKO!" he cried in horror as the two fell, feet and arms waving as they hit the shallow pool, its surface riven with stones. Retsuko landed on all fours, her paws trying to grip but slipping as they landed on the wet moss-covered rock. A flash of pain came from her front left one, though they slowed her down. Chest hitting the water, she felt the rocky surface punch her in the gut, winding her and shaking her… But she was okay.

And then she heard the scream behind her.

Looking over, she saw Skye, her foot paws on the ground and in the middle of a splash, tumble to the side. Her arms went out and scattered the rocks where she fell as she too ended up face first in the water. Getting up, the red panda winced from the pain in her left arm, the throbbing getting worse. Still, she made a few steps over to her friend, the swift fox now on her side, clutching her right leg hard. Her eyes were welded shut, her teeth gritted, pained sobs leaking out as she inhaled. Sniffing, almost cursing under her breath, her face was riven in pain.

"Skye," Retsuko began, before a splash rang out. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a terrified Haida striding up across the water, kicking up spray as he went. No time for talk, he swooped in, picking her up in one fell swoop. Before she even knew what had happened, she was being carried along as he brought down his other arm and scooped Skye up. He held her against his chest, Skye wincing as her tight leg was bent against it.

"GAHHH!"

The pain filled cry sent a shiver down her spine and left Haida reeling. For a moment she almost felt that she was going to be dropped, only for her boyfriend to steady himself and Skye as he began making his way out.

"I'm sorry!" he gasped, panting as he picked up the pace. "I'm sorry! I didn't… I didn't mean to! I…" he broke off a bit as he began to sniff. "I didn't want to hurt you," he whimpered. Reaching the edge of the pool, he climbed out, Retsuko noticing a shocked looking Jack staring out at them. There wasn't much he could do…

"Call an ambulance!" Haida shouted, his voice cracking. "And now! -Not next week, NOW!"

The hare pulled out his phone and began dialling as they set off. "I'm… I'm taking you two to the entrance," he said, as he began speeding up. Retsuko grabbed him tight with her good arm, her bad paw pulsing with pain. Whipping through the forests, past the lights and trees and pretty sculptures faster than she could take them in, she realised she was crying. Looking up, she saw that Haida was too.

And then she looked at Skye.

She could already see her leg swelling up badly, and her eyes and lips were welded shut, her muzzle and face riven with folds. She was trying so hard to hold it in, but still it escaped. Tears trickling from her eyes, the whimpers from her muzzle, the pained way she breathed.

Haida was breathing too, fast and rough, out of breath but pushing on. She saw the entrance to the gardens coming up and an ambulance there and waiting and, before she could register what was happening, she and Skye were passed over.

"We'll…" Haida began, his voice cutting out as he took a deep wheezing breath in.

"-Can you sit," one of the crew asked, the red panda not really noticing who.

"Yes," she answered, almost automatically. She didn't really think about it, it just came out. Everything was such a daze.

"-Follow!" Haida finished, shouting out and catching her attention.

"Haida!"

"I'm… I'm…" he began, still catching his breath.

Retsuko didn't know what to say, her tongue caught. But she looked at him, how he looked at her with guilt and fear, and she felt a shiver go down her spine. She opened her mouth to speak out, but it was too late. Skye was in, and the doors slammed shut as she shouted.

"It's not your fault!"

…

Everything seemed to go oddly quiet for a second or two, the calm before the storm. With a fit, the engine rumbled to life and the ambulance jolted and shook as they set off. Skye was moaning, "Ow's" and "Ouches" being her main response to the first round of questions. The medics began getting her some pain relief, asking Retsuko if she needed anything herself.

She said yes, but didn't really think about it.

It was just an automatic response.

She was thinking about her boyfriend, the guilt riven self-hating imagine of him that she'd last seen stuck hauntingly in her mind.

.

.

.

"Stupid. Stupid. STUPID!"

Jack's ears were drooped with worry. First it had been for his girlfriend and Retsuko, but right here and now it was for the red panda's boyfriend.

"STUPID!" he shouted, as he slammed his head hard against the side of their zuber. Retsuko lived locally, Haida a few transit stops away, while Skye had driven Jack here. While Haida did have a license he wasn't insured for Skye's car and even if he was she'd left with the keys. So, zuber it was. Leaning down, he clutched his brow tightly, his stupor only broke, slightly at that, when he felt a paw on his side. Jack. The Hyena looked over at him and shrugged. "You can do it."

"Do what?" Jack asked.

"Hit me," he snorted, sounding miserable. "I deserve it."

Jack looked at him. His fur and clothes were messy from his run, his face riven with emotional pain, and he looked like the most pathetic specimen in the world. Jack couldn't have punched him even if he wanted to. "No, you don't and I'm not going to."

"Right," he grunted. "Because you're lazy and can't be bothered. Don't worry though, I'll take care of it."

Before Jack could stop him, Haida pulled out his paw and slapped himself hard on his head. There was a slight pause, before he gave himself three more hits, each harder than the last. Jack looked on worried, not sure if he should intervene or not. After all, could he even hold the hyena's paw back?

Better not.

He winced though as another strike hit Haida. It rang out so hard that there was a slight shudder, the driver slowing down to a stop and looking back at them. Looking at the horse in front, Jack spoke. "He jumped on a loose paving stone and it launched our girlfriends into the air. Now they're injured, and he wants to join them."

"Pah," Haida snorted. "I don't deserve that. I should just walk into the rain, catch pneumonia again and die. There, I deserve that!"

The horse turned to face Haida, before double taking him. "Déjà vu," he muttered, before shaking his head. "Now listen, the way I hear it, it was a pure accident."

"Caused by me," Haida cursed. "I went in like a big damn clutz and ruined everything! Heh… Retsuko's mother was right. She'd be better with anyone except me."

"I wouldn't say that," the driver said. "Listen, I've been in that guilty place, it's not nice."

"Tchhhh…" Haida dismissed. "Well I deserve it!"

The driver snorted, his nostrils flaring. He turned forward again and the car pulled out, driving onwards once more. "Well I thought that too. But sometimes you can't call the shots or stop the ones in charge, the ones higher up, the ones behind the real pain from causing it. You couldn't have seen it; you couldn't have done anything. Be angry at them. Not yourself."

…

"Passing the buck," he muttered, before knocking his head against the side again.

Jack looked on concerned. Maybe there wasn't anything he could do physically to stop the hyena from beating himself up, but mentally? Using his own skill sets? What the horse said had given him a little streak of inspiration.

"Haida?"

"Punching request still open," he said, bearing the side of his arm.

"Do you know how many paving stones and slabs and all sorts I walk on every day?" the Jackrabbit asked, raising his voice. No longer timid, or playing about, it was loud and fierce.

"Huh?" Haida asked, perking up. He looked at Jack, confused. "I guess a lot…"

"Damn right a lot! There's a lot of them in this damn city! We rely on them! For holding our weight and letting us walk about!"

"I suppose…"

"'_Suppose'_" Jack mocked, before snorting and giving Haida a light hit on the arm. Not a real one, just enough to drive the point across. As he rubbed where he'd been hit, the hare got louder, angrier and shoutier. "It's our right! Our birthright as Zootopians! That we can walk where we want, our feet dry and free from stones and pebbles and all sorts! It's our right that the ground beneath our feet is safe and secure! THAT is the very minimum we should expect!"

"I guess," Haida mused, Jack silently congratulating himself. The hyena was taking the bait.

"The very minimum, and we should be able to jump about and go do-lally without so much as a tremor! This city has codes and rules and regulations, and mammals are paid… WITH OUR MONEY to test these. If anything goes wrong, it's on their watch!"

"Yeah…" Haida agreed, nodding along.

"But those bastards think they can fleece us! Think they can take our money, and still let our dear ones come to harm! They think they can get away with that!"

"Yeah, screw those guys!"

"Screw them? That's just the start!"

"Just that start?"

"Just the start," Jack said, feeling the passion of the act flow through him. "Do you know what we're going to do?"

"No. Tell me."

"Well," Jack said, growling and roaring, fury in him. "We're going to stand up, open the window and shout out: I'M MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"

"DAMN RIGHT I AM!" Haida shouted back, as he turned around and pressed the window button. There was a roar from the air flowing outside and a repetitive thudding filled the car, carrying on as the window fully opened and Haida stuck his head out, right as a truck came the other way. "I'M MAD AS HELL, AND I'M…"

_SPLASH…._

…

"Wet," Haida remarked, as he slipped back in the car, his face soaked with water and leaves. Staring forwards, one of his paws absently pressed the button to raise the window back up.

…

"Got any towels?" he asked out loud. "I am not going to catch pneumonia again." There was a ruffling from the front and one was thrown his way. Catching it with one paw, he began drying his face, only to pause half way. "Uh-oh…"

"What?" Jack asked.

Haida gulped. "The girls got wet. What if they get pneumonia!? It's all my fault."

.

.

.

.

It wasn't long before they arrived in the waiting room, picking a chair and asking a receptionist to keep them informed. The pair sat down, Haida swallowing some painkillers he'd picked up. He'd got a headache.

"I deserve it," he mumbled.

Jack ignored him. It was futile, an exercise as pointless as trying to clean up his office. Cheer Haida up, he'd then just drag himself down, so why bother in the first place?

.

.

He was crying.

.

Jack ignored him.

.

He worried about the girls, though. Skye seemed more injured than Retsuko. How bad was it?

.

.

…

Haida was still crying.

…

"It's not that bad."

"Yes, it is," the hyena cursed, looking down. He kicked the floor, before sniffing. "I've ruined it. Everything."

"No, you haven't."

"Yes, I have!"

Jack groaned. "You're making yourself sound like a monster."

"Tchhh…" Haida chided, trembling as he did so. "Maybe I am."

"It was an accident!"

"I hurt them," he shouted. His voice echoed across the room, and Jack couldn't help but hear whispers and rumours start to spread about.

Jack cleared his throat, before speaking twice as loud. "Your weight hurt them by levering up a badly installed bit of pavement. It was an accident. You're not some monster or criminal." Pausing and listening in, he heard new comments sprout up, almost all of them out of sympathy.

"They wouldn't have been hurt if I wasn't in the picture," he muttered. "I… I know I didn't know about the stone, but I feel I should have. I know that I'm not a criminal, but I feel like one. I feel like this, and I can't shake it off."

"Then suck it up."

"I…" Haida began, only to pause. There was an odd quiet as he thought, before seeming to relax. "You're right," he said. Jack's ears rose, that sounded almost wistful. A slight chuckle came out of him, and he shook his head. "I really need to get myself together."

"See," Jack said, smiling. "It wasn't your fault."

"It still was," Haida clarified. "I still bare responsibility for it. More than anyone." He trailed off, looking away. He shuddered as he breathed in, before clenching his hands together resolutely. "But that means I've got to put it right, and I've got to hold myself together if I'm going to do that."

Jack looked at him, confused. "It isn't your responsibility; you don't have to put it right."

"Well who else will?" Haida countered. "Retsuko might not be able to work, or look after herself. I'm her boyfriend, it's my job to care for her. -Skye might be the same for that matter, she might need you to care of her."

"Yeah, and… -Hang on!" Jack remarked, his eyes going wide. "I thought you were the one responsible, though you're not, so why do I have to look after Skye?"

Haida was silent for a second or two, his mouth part open. "Our girlfriends get hurt, and you think we both don't have any responsibilities to them?" he asked, scolding Jack a little. "You think that's cool? Because I don't."

The hare shook his head and scowled. "You're saying that, even though you blame yourself for this, I should help out."

"It's not about who's to blame," he said, looking away a little. "Think about it. Both Retsuko and Skye need someone who knows and cares for them looking after them. Me, Retsuko. You, Skye. And, yes, I have a further responsibility. If you need help or anything, or bills to be paid, I'd be happy to sub you. Maybe you can have that basket I made, all the leftovers… You do have it, right?"

"No."

Haida rolled his eyes. "I'll phone the club. They have Skye's car, after all." Standing up, he began to walk out, grabbing his phone. Before he did so, he turned around to look at Jack. "It's my duty to help you help her," he said. "But it's your duty to help her. That's what being a boyfriend means."

And, with that, Haida left, leaving Jack alone.

Thinking…

…

"Maybe your kind of boyfriend," Jack commented. "But Skye and I are casual…"

…

One of his eyes twitched, and he shook his head. "Okay, I'll check she's alright. But it's not like she'll need help anyway."

.

.

"I hope she's okay though…"

.

.

…

Looking up, he saw Haida come back inside, only to freeze where he stood. "Retsuko!"

"Haida!" shouted a familiar voice, and Jack saw the red panda race out from a doorway and right into his paws.

"I missed you," she cried, as he lifted him up. Holding her like a baby, she wrapped her arms around his neck, Jack noticing that one was in a torsion bandage.

He smiled as he held her, but one sniff, then a second, escaped him. "I'm so sorry…"

"It's not your fault," she said.

"It…" he began, before breaking off. He held her away from him, smiling. "Whether it was or wasn't, I'll be here to look after you," he said, before giving her a light peck on her nose. She giggled back.

"It's only a light sprain," she said.

"I'll be here to look after you," he promised, looking at her and smiling. She looked back at him, their gaze lingering, and with her good arm she reached back to fuss his ears and head fur.

"Thanks, Haida," she said, before pulling herself closer. His eyes widened and hers closed as their lips collided, meeting and kissing as the two embraced. He held her closer, paws gripping her back and rump, even as her tail beat into them. She clutched the back of his head tight, keeping up the pressure. Haida segued into it, his eyes closing, and their mouths and tongues danced, sparking like electricity as they flowed against one another, nipping and perking the odd tooth once in a while.

They parted, Haida holding his girlfriend over his shoulder, trembling slightly as he did so. "Wha… What was that for?"

"For you, silly," she whispered.

"Hu… -Hu-Ha," he giggled, beaming about. "I love you so much."

Retsuko nodded, snuggling into him, before slipping away. Landing on her two feet, she noticed Jack in the distance and then looked around, getting more and more frantic. "Where's Skye?"

Haida's grin faltered. "She… We still don't know."

He looked down, only to flinch as Retsuko held his paw. "It's not your fault."

He nodded and, together, they sat down next to Jack and waited.

.

.

.

"I got a text from the place," Haida noted. It had close to an hour since Retsuko had been discharge, the red panda currently sleeping on his lap. "They're keeping her car, and the hamper. You can keep both though."

…

Tweaking his muzzle a little, Haida looked down, spotting a sleeping Jack next to him. He sighed. "And I had a good joke lined up too…"

"What joke would that be then?" Looking up, Haida spotted a bespectacled blue-eyed red fox in medical scrubs and a red scrub cap waiting for them. "I believe you're here for a Miss Skye Autumn?"

Blinking a few times, Haida nodded, before vigorously shaking the two smaller mammals next to him awake. "Yes, how is she?"

"She's awake and lucid, though tired, and has asked to see you three. We can discuss her state there."

Slipping off Haida's lap, yawning and rubbing her eyes as she did so, Retsuko smiled. "Lead the way."

That he did, quickly taking them into the warren of corridors, rooms and passageways, giving little information as he went. All he really said was that his name was Daz. Entering a lift, he pressed the up button before watching the doors close. "Now we're in a private area, I can state that she underwent local surgery," he said, collecting gasps from the others.

"I… I…" Haida began, pausing to find the right words. "Is she okay?"

"Now, yes," Daz said. "Before we applied the local anaesthetic she was still in some pain, but afterwards fine." He paused, chuckling a little. "I've had patients under local make jokes in the past, but never one offer to help before."

"That's Skye," Jack said, piquing the fox's attention. "Did she also ask to be left alone with a set of instructions and how to do it?"

Daz sniggered a bit. "Once we said no she laid back silently, letting us do our job… -Though not before clarifying that her offer wasn't due to any lack of faith in us, 'Spider-Pig surgical cap related or otherwise.'"

Haida's interest piqued as he paid attention to the cap in question, but any questions were cut off as the door opened, Daz leading them on once more. "She's just down here, and…" he began, turning into an open ward before pausing. "She… was… there…" he muttered, looking at an empty bed. The others were occupied, the mammals in them sleeping or minding their own business, but none of them were the missing swift fox. Daz looked over to a lynx patientr, currently watching a video on her phone, a pair of headphones covering her ears. "Esso, have you seen the new patient anywhere?"

…

"Esso?" he asked again, louder this time.

The lynx looked up and frowned. "One, I don't snitch. Two, you owe me a pudding cup."

"Not that I actually agreed to that bet," the red fox grumbled. The trio behind him looking at each other nervously for a second or two before the sound of a flushing toilet rang out, Daz striding over and standing by a wooden door, rapping it intently. "Miss Autumn, is that you?"

"Hang on a sec," Skye called out from inside.

His eyes narrowed. "I asked you to rest."

"I just needed the toilet," she said, the sound of a tap running briefly coming out.

"You could have called a nurse with a bed pan."

"I didn't want to cause a fuss for anyone," Skye said, as the handle was pulled down. "Besides, I can do this myself."

"Yes, and if you put your recovery back, that's on you," he retorted, stepping back as the door opened and Skye exited. Her good foot stepped out, and then two crutches hit the ground, Haida gasping as she saw her other one in a cast.

"Oh god," he said, his voice wavering. "I'm so sorry, I…"

"-It wasn't your fault," she said, smiling as she scooted back over to her bed. Daz followed her, insisting that she let him help her back up, while Haida replied.

"I know it wasn't, but I feel like it was," he said.

"Well don't. After all, I'm the one who didn't land right," she said softly, before cutting herself off as Daz denied any attempts for her to refuse help, lifting her onto the bed before she could protest. She glanced around nervously, her ears folding down onto the back of her head and tail wrapping around her legs, before her gaze moved over to Retsuko.

"How's the paw?"

"Lightly sprained, but it'll get better," she said, sadly. "It's a better state than your leg."

Skye nodded as Daz cleared his throat. "Mind if I give them the overview?" She nodded, and he turned to face the others. "I'm afraid she hit the ground at an angle and has, regrettably, broken her ankle," he explained, earning a gasp from the crowd. "The good news is that it was only a small break in the fibula, which is the secondary leg bone. Under local anaesthetic we put in a small pin to hold it in position, while a cast will hold and secure her foot until it heals."

"How long will that be?" Skye asked.

"Six to eight weeks, in which you need to rest and take it easy." He turned to the others and looked up to Haida. "Though I'm pretty sure she's in good paws."

The hyena coughed a little. "I'm not…"

"Ah, sorry," Daz said, before stepping to the side. "Even the best of us misjudge every now and again, I've experienced it myself in past relationship. But hey, having played both teams before let me say that your paws will be just as good as his are."

…

Retsuko blushed, an awkward look on her face. "Third time lucky," she said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Right!" Daz agreed, moving over to Jack and shaking his paws. "Well, I'm happy to say that she's in equally, equally good paws," he said, before pausing. "Now, I guess you lot can discuss arrangements for her discharge tomorrow. I, uhh… -Anyone want some tea?"

Retsuko nodded. "Some green tea would be lovely, thanks."

"We have black."

"Any other colours?"

"…Well, I guess that depends on how much milk you put in it."

Retsuko looked unconvinced, an awkward silence filling the room until Haida spoke up. "Oh, Skye, they're keeping your car there, and you can keep the remains of the hamper."

Skye smiled. "Thanks. That's very kind of you."

"Well," Haida said, "after what you went through, I thought you deserved to keep the car." There were a short set of laughs all around as he leant over to Daz. "And that was the joke."

"Ta," the fox said, looking past them to his other patients. "Want anything? Regina? Harper? Esso?" A few requests were given by them, before he turned back to the visitors. "I'll leave you guys to catch up. Best wishes and, remember," he began, looking over at Jack. "She'll need lots of care and rest. You'll need to help her with a lot of things around the house where you can. Good luck."

With that, he left, leaving the group standing there. It was late, they were tired, and Retsuko asked if she and Haida could leave. He offered to go to her place, to help out while her paw was at its worst, and she accepted. So, Jack and Skye were left alone, the only sounds being from the other patients, and an odd member of staff.

Jack looked up at her. "I'm pretty sure you're fine by yourself, right?"

"Oh totally," she agreed. "This is nothing, I can handle it."

.

.

.

**AN: A shout out to Crewefox for letting me cameo his OC. After featuring plenty of Cimar's server back in 'So we're inters now' I thought I'd give a bit of the TAS crew a spotlight too.**


	33. Skye's Fall 2

**Chapter 2:**

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**AN: Sorry for the lack of an update last week. That should be a one-off event. I'd like to thank Ubernomer for proofing this chapter (and the rest of this episode).**

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"Oh totally," she agreed. "This is nothing; I can handle it."

She could easily not not handle it.

Discharged the next day, she went home before arriving at Jack's theatre the day after. He'd just finished the first round of rehearsals when the clicking of her crutches on the floor filled the room.

"Ah, Skye," he said, turning over and smiling. Using her crutches, the swift foxe was moving swifter than normal as she approached the stage. "I'm afraid you missed the first rehearsal."

Her head cocked a little. "There was one on?"

"Isn't that why you're here?"

"You never said there was a rehearsal."

Jack paused; mouth piqued in thought. "I guess I didn't, I just thought I did when you turned up."

"Nope," she said, as she reached the foot of the stage. Looking at the step up, she set her eyes on a small staircase in the corner and began heading over. "Just here to finish the job."

"I thought it was done, the stage is fixed."

"Well, I need to do some testing and any final tweaks," she explained, coming up to his level. "I don't usually have any snagging problems, but that's no excuse."

Striding over, she stood in front of Jack and smiled, the hare's gaze lowering down to her foot cast. "Isn't that one?"

Her eyes half lidded. "I can manage Jack," she said evenly, before scooting past, over to the control panel. Opening it up, beginning to experiment with the levers and buttons, she turned back to the hare. "How did the rehearsal go, by the way?"

"Oh brilliantly!" Jack replied, suddenly enthused. "It was excellent, brilliant. Finally seeing all those I sought out step into their roles for the first time. It's like a baby's first steps, almost. Moving along, wobbling, but you can't help but look on in wonder. _Yes_, some mammals did fall down. But you learn things from that. I mean one actor had a slight niggle when saying one of the lines. A stutter, almost. Now this was a fairly bland side character by himself, little more than a guide rail for the main plot. But, on seeing that little stutter, I realised I could do something with him! Have him stutter a few more times in a few times. A little bit of dialogue and, voila! A character trait. A vulnerability. Something to make the audience latch on and care about this otherwise unimportant character."

"So, turning it from a bug to a feature," Skye said, interested. "I tend to just focus on squishing them."

"Skye," he said boastfully, raising himself up a little. His eyes closed proudly, and an aloof lecturing finger pointed to the ceiling. "The best creatives are always swift on their feet."

"Says the laziest mammal I know," she teased back.

Keeping his hammy little act up, he added a little faux outrage to the mix. "Skye, I happen to only be lazy in non-important things in life. Mainly everything other than my calling."

"I still think that's being lazy," she said, glancing back to see him turn up his nose. There was a little upturn of his mouth though, so it was all in good humour.

"And you happen to be the least swift swift fox I know."

"Do you know any other swift foxes?"

"I, for one, happen to think that that's irrelevant to the matter at paw!"

Smiling, Skye rolled her eyes as she brought out a voltmeter. It was a little tricky using it, but she kept most of her weight on her good foot, the rest going through her elbow and into a crutch. It meant the device had to be kept stationary, her other paw attaching the crocodile clips and probes before returning to tweak the selection wheel. "P-D is normal, current normal," she said to herself, before moving onto the next phase.

_-Of the task at paw, not a different electrical one_, she joked to herself, smiling a little. Jack, meanwhile, was lying back on his deckchair, watching her work.

…

"You know," he mused, "if Haida were here, he'd be going '_It's your duty to help out your girlfriend. Maybe you should be doing that for her._'"

She smiled. "Sounds about right."

Jack nodded, only for an odd feeling to creep into him. It was almost like he owed her his aid, even though he knew full well that she didn't want it. "You sure you're fine?"

"Yes," she said, sounding a bit like a teenager as she did so. "I'm fine."

He nodded back. Good. There. Issue settled.

…

Then why did he still feel this way? It was dumb. Said feeling wouldn't please either of them, yet still it kept nagging. Was this what had plagued Haida that night, when he'd been beating himself up in the car? If it was, then he was most certainly going to ignore it.

Finishing her work at the control panel in question, Skye began scooting over to the other side, talking as she walked. "I get why he's doing that and, from what I've heard, he's been looking after Retsuko really well. Her paw is supposed to be mostly better now, anyway."

"You called them?" he asked.

"She called me, she just wanted to see if I was okay," she said, pausing to look at him. "He is a real sweetie, but I think that kind of care would drive me up the wall." She chuckled a little. "Even Retsuko said that she was feeling like she wanted to do a few more things herself, she had to tell him to calm down a little."

"I'm literally doing nothing," Jack said, "and you have to do that to me."

"Yup," she said, rolling her eyes. "They have a different kind of relationship. He cares and loves her, she does back. That's great for them, but we're different. I can hold my own, but enjoy a little bunny therapy now and again. You're happy to give that, and I don't need more. Nothing wrong with that."

"Nope," Jack agreed, feeling better again. "Speaking of bunny therapy...?"

"Not on the job," Skye said with a smile. She turned and scooted off, testing another panel. "Anyway, got a few jobs I want to finish before the weekend. Some work on a car, doing a lot of filing and such that I've let build up, getting something nice for a friend."

"I guess that's a gift to Retsuko and Haida."

"No," she said, carrying on her work. "An old family friend is having a new baby and hosting a baby shower. I have a few ideas of what to get and such."

Jack nodded. "Okay then."

He trailed off as he watched Skye carry on her work. It was just a few checks and tests, but she sailed through them quickly and efficiently. Jack meanwhile told some more stories of the rehearsal, such as how he'd decided to reallocate a few of the roles, swapping the actors around after seeing them in action. Time flew, and soon enough she gave the systems a clean bill of health.

"Good to hear," Jack replied.

"Yep," she said, flexing her fingers before gripping her crutches once more. She looked at Jack for a second or two before nervously looking around. "You know," she whispered, "now that the job is done, maybe there is a bit of time for bunny therapy."

A grin grew on the hare's muzzle. "I think I'm always motivated for a bit of that."

Her smile growing, Skye looked over to the door to his office. "Let's find somewhere private, shall we?"

They walked over to his office, Jack letting himself in and, unable to walk across the floor given the piles of rubbish covering it, hopped over to his chair. Skye followed, but paused at the threshold. Despite the mountains of litter and the difficulty from her crutches, she was at least part sure that she could get over all of it to him…

But the smell had put her completely out of the mood.

"What?" Jack groaned.

"I…" Skye began, before sniffing a few times, one pungent aroma in particular standing out. Walking over, taking care with her crutches, she leant down over a non-descript cup before gagging. She stood back up, ram-rod straight, and loosened one paw from her crutches so she could plug her nose. "Was that originally cola?"

"I don't know," Jack said with a shrug. "Ask Nick, he checked it last."

Skye looked at him and around the room, before backing off a bit. "Maybe I can have some bunny therapy later," she said, still sounding a bit unsure. "See you around, Jack."

Jack nodded. "Bye."

"Bye," she replied, backing off and closing the door.

…

Jack grunted. His room wasn't that bad!

Besides, as he always said, why clean a room that will just get dirty again?

It was a Sisyphusian task, futile by its very nature. The smart guys like him knew that the only way to win was not to play.

.

The next day went well. There was plenty to do relating to the new production, now that everything was finally in order. After reassigning his actors the day before, he had them check their new lines and start doing the read offs. Hearing the voices to his artwork was always a mixed bag. By all means it was great, but at the same time there was a slight dissonance. He'd given all the names on his script voices, inflections, personalities, and so much of that came to life here. Yet there were differences, alterations, changes…

With the actors playing them, such was to be expected. There were many things that he could run with, which he hadn't thought of and now helped to further that character, or open up a new aspect of him. Other things that threw him a little and, in some cases, things that were fundamentally different.

His creation was coming to life before his eyes, yet it wasn't entirely his anymore. He was passing over a baton. At least this time, though, it was his baton that he was passing over. Not, as had happened many times before, his baton with pink fluffy bits and sparkles glued on by Buster Moon.

Speaking of which, the koala was watching on with his friend Eddie. The sheep was warm in his review of everything, clapping and saying that it seemed very promising. Certainly a step up from his compliments before. Moon, meanwhile, looked on nervously. Jack could see him feeling the urge to meddle, but with the agreement that Skye had hustled from him there was nothing he could do.

Skye…

He thought of her a bit, before shrugging it off. She was fine.

.

The second day, more rehearsals took place. Like a smith hitting a piece of iron, folding it to drive out the impurities, Jack carried on his work. There were still a few sticking points, ones he felt he could never get over and would have to live with, but as his creation evolved he grew to appreciate its new form more and more.

It was after he'd wrapped up that he heard someone enter the main theatre and, turning to face the concerned face of Buster Moon, he was pleasantly surprised to see Judy Hopps there instead.

"Hey there!"

"Hi," he said. "You missed the rehearsal."

"Maybe I'm keeping away from spoilers," she said, hopping up onto the stage. "Nick and I will definitely be visiting. I haven't actually seen one of your solo creations yet, so I'm excited."

"Good thing to be," Jack replied, "the whole thing is coming together brilliantly!"

"I can see," Judy agreed, turning to face the centre stage and letting out a long whistle. To say things had changed since she last saw it was an understatement. It had been bent, broken, damaged and ruined, yet it looked as good as new now. "Skye did a really good job."

"She did," he agreed. "-She also came in too late for a rehearsal two days ago, doing the last checks and such."

"Well," Judy said, looking over at Jack and smiling. "I guess you can get her front row seats, isn't that right Mr Boyfriend."

"That's _sir_ boyfriend," he boasted, earning a playful shove from Judy for the effort. He rolled with it, literally, doing a back roll before standing up again with a jump and flourish, taking a bow.

Judy nodded. "So, you and Skye, Nick thought it was a joke at first. Said that someone as hard focussed as her wouldn't… -well, you know…"

"And there's our secret," Jack said, winking. "She lives her own life and doesn't want any help. I'm just there for her to cuddle."

"And go on double dates with, alongside your two new friends," she teased. "The hyena and red panda."

"Haida and Retsuko," he said, Judy nodding back. He was about to move back to his play when he saw Buster Moon arrive out of the corner of his eye. Knowing that the meddling koala couldn't see the other bunny, he had a sudden idea. "Say, Judith?" he said loudly, smiling as the suddenly alarmed marsupial turned and fled.

"…-Yes, Jack?" a slightly confused Judy asked, as he turned back to her.

He hadn't thought this through, had he? Still, he could improvise. "That pair were interested in trying a triple date you know?"

A wide grin grew across her face. "Yeah! That sounds great. Any ideas on what we could do?"

"No."

"Hmmmm," she mused, looking down and tapping her foot. "Maybe I could plan something. What kind of things have you done so far?"

"Well, I took Skye to an inter-support group meetup for date one, though it's not quite her thing," he said. "Then Haida took us to this art place in the rainforest for an evening picnic, which was nice until it wasn't."

"What happened?"

"Skye broke her ankle."

Judy burst out laughing, bending over with her paws on her knees before looking up again. "Very funny."

"She was quite hurt, actually."

Laughing some more, Judy wiped her nose and looked up. "Very good. I'm guessing things just didn't go to plan then."

"Well they didn't, she broke her ankle, Retsuko sprained her wrist and Haida blamed himself."

Judy looked up at him smiling, before the smile dropped from her face. Her eyes remained wide open though, even as her paw went over her mouth. "You weren't joking…"

"No."

"Oh gosh, how did I not know?"

"She doesn't call a lot," he replied, Judy rolling her eyes.

"Well why didn't you call me? I could have helped her."

He shrugged. "She doesn't need help."

"-Her ankle is broken, Jack!"

"She doesn't want help," he clarified, before going all proud. "-And I for one am happy to comply with her wishes."

Judy looked at him silently for a second or two before shaking her head. "Does she have anyone helping her?"

"Unless she called her parents, no."

"And has she?"

"… Probably not."

"Then you should he helping her!"

"-But doesn't want it…" he said, before scowling at Judy. "Remember when you realised you'd been studying the wrong chapter for your finals and had to cram study in just one week? You were dead on your paws and I offered to find a replacement for you in the group so you could focus on it full time. I offered you help, you refused, and now that's not okay?"

Judy blinked a few times. "That's not the same Jack."

"It sounds like it…"

"I could do the cramming, and my theatre," she said. "-And I did get help. My friend Sharla offered to help with chores around the flat. I explained my situation to my parents, and they sent me some gift hampers to help me get through it. I got help on all the little things, so I could achieve the big things."

"And should I have helped you? Insisted on booting you from your place on the theatre?"

"I…" Judy began, before looking down. "Jack, she's your girlfriend. You look after her, like I look after Nick and he looks after me."

"We're girlfriend-boyfriend _-lite_," he clarified, Judy rolling her eyes in return.

"You still should," she said, before patting him on the shoulder. "Anyway… Glad to see the production is going well. Nick has been much better since you helped him, and things have been going well since we last saw you." She trailed off, looking at the hare before smiling. Pulling him into a light hug, she patted him on the back. "Good luck," she said, breaking away. "And look after your girlfriend."

She departed, leaving him alone.

.

With his thoughts.

He mused more about tweaks, and changes, and about helping Skye around her house and…

…

-"Why am I thinking about that," he asked to the air. "You KNOW she doesn't want any help." He settled back in his office chair and closed his eyes, trying to get some rest. The sound of clattering jolted him up though, and he saw that he'd knocked a pile of papers off of it. He grumbled, closed his eyes again, and tried to snooze once more.

.

.

The next day, the third since Skye had last visited, Jack got a phonecall. It was from Siwili. She simply asked if he could remind Skye not to ignore her mother. She'd tried to call her and left a message but got not reply, instead just leaving an answer. Jack nodded, and dialled in Skye's number.

It rung, and rung, and rung…

Before the answer phone message rang out.

"Skye, call your mother," he said, before hanging up. That should do it. Another day of rehearsals were due and he got through them quickly enough. At the end of it though, he received another phone call.

Haida.

"Hey there!"

"Hi."

"How are you, and how's Skye?"

"Good and good."

"Ah, great," the Hyena chuckled on the other end. "Retsy's all healed up now, her paw working fine again, so I'm discharged from helping duties! Heh, I think I embarrassed her little a few times by being a bit too eager, such as asking if I could help her clean her flat given the state it was in. It must have been time for her weekly clean and, when asking if she wanted help, she blushed a bit, knowing she couldn't manage it herself. Still, she asked me to do it and I did. Ahhh…. Anyway, things seem back to normal for us again, though not for poor Skye of course."

"She's fine," Jack replied, an edge in his voice. "And it wasn't your fault, and it isn't your job to look after her."

"I know," he said. "Your job, not mine." There was a pause and a sigh from the other end. "You know, it does sound like a chore, doesn't it…?"

"Yes!" Jack agreed readily.

"But, at the end of the day, it isn't. That's what it means, being in love… Do you know how long I loved Retsuko?"

"I don't."

"Neither do I," he said wistfully. "But it was two or three years, maybe four. Just hanging out with her, being friends, and realising I loved her but didn't have the guts to confess. Damn, I was mad when it seemed like she was hooked with other men. I was angry at them for taking her, or worried they'd drop her and break her… But the one I was always the angriest with at the end of the day was myself. And then I did confess, but it was too early, she needed time. I was still her friend through that, then through the time this other mammal on a whole different level almost took her and then, one day, she said it was time. It was liked I dreamed, and then I made a mistake and feared I screwed it up!"

"Which you haven't," Jack reminded. "We've been over this repeatedly."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll keep this short then. By the end of it, when she was with other men, I could have been angry at them. There was this one I could punch, but it didn't come to that. You know why? Because… Because being about love isn't about yourself. Being in love means wishing for the best for whoever it is you're in love with… Even if the best isn't you. Even if it means sacrifice. The thing is, though, it doesn't feel like a sacrifice when it's for someone you love."

…

The phone hung up, and Jack slipped it into his pocket. "Damn that was moving," he said, before hurrying off. "I could build something off of that."

.

.

…

Writing the whole speech down on a piece of paper, Jack placed it and relaxed, one for the ages. A nice sentiment about true love, boyfriend and girlfriend.

Selflessly caring for them, and looking after, like he could with…

His eyes opened again. "Stop thinking that. She doesn't want or need it."

So, he turned back to his work, or his lazing, but his mind kept on straying back. He tried to push the forces out and away, he kept on repeating what he knew, yet why did they keep returning!?

"Stop it," he scolded, marching out of his office. His feet kicked a pile of old costumes though, and he yelped as he tripped over, his outstretched palms slowing his fall against a stack of prop books. They went everywhere and Jack groaned slightly as he walked over them and out of the door. Maybe some method acting would help clear his mind.

Yet it didn't.

He kept on coming back to the idea that he should do something which he, categorically, knew he shouldn't do! "I should make this into a play about peer pressure," he said out loud, and he started to do so. Grabbing a notebook, he began roughly sketching out the ideas for a play where the characters Haiden and Julie guilted their friend into making a big birthday party for his wife, who specifically didn't like big parties and such, and in doing so broke their relationship resulting in divorce. After all, didn't that really happen with that Hollywoo wolf actor…? The Canidean one with the yellow dyed fur and silly stage name. Who's that dog…?

Jack shook his head and carried on writing.

"There, done!" he said, before throwing it at the floor. He huffed though, as the feeling _still _returned. Those two had wormed their way into his head, and he knew from at least one that the results of this self-guilt weren't pretty. Soaked, self-induced slap and leaf-covered not pretty….

Though if he just helped Skye then…

"NO, STOP IT!" He yelled, his voice echoing out into the theatre. He breathed in and out, shaking his head. Why were these mammals messing with him?

…

"You okay?"

His ears raised, and he looked over to see Eddie standing there. The sheep was looking at him curiously. "No," he answered, the sheep wandering over to sit down beside him.

"I probably won't be much help."

Jack snorted. "That's kind of my problem."

"Well how come?"

"I'm in a very light relationship with this girl. We went on a double date a while back, where an accident happened and she broke her ankle. She's fine with it though, scooting about with her crutches and very specifically saying she needs no help. She doesn't want any. She can get around and even do a lot of basic things just fine."

"So, what's the problem?"

"Everyone I meet keeps on saying I should be looking after her, helping her, ignoring the fact that she doesn't want it. I don't want to either, and we're both very happy with that."

"So? Ignore them."

"I tried to, but now by brain keeps on telling me I should be helping her, even though I know she doesn't want it. I'd just be a nuisance to her."

Eddie nodded at that, looking away and chewing for a second or two in thought. "I think I get you."

"You do?" Jack asked. "So, what do I do?"

"If she doesn't want help, don't go about patronising her," he said. "But there's nothing wrong with a nice little gift or present here and there, is there?"

Jack paused, thinking. "I guess not…"

"So maybe just give her a little thing to brighten her day up? You show you care about her, but don't patronise her. I think everyone comes out good from that."

Thinking, Jack nodded. "That might work," he said. Not much effort on his part, and it felt like doing a good thing. He stood up and began walking off, it wasn't like he had much else to do. "Thanks Eddie."

"Well, don't mention it. Seriously, don't."

"I won't," Jack replied, as he exited the theatre. Grabbing his stuff, he guessed that he could pick up something from the nearby Meerkat Markets, though what exactly wasn't something he had any real idea for.

.

…

"Can foxes eat peanuts?"

After being told that they could, Jack purchased a few helpings of different flavoured ones and put them away in his bag. He didn't know what to get her, truth be told. She liked petting him, and had a fondness for sweet potato fries in blue cheese sauce. However, none of those things were here, so he'd settle on the nuts. She was a mechanic; he could joke about it.

That done he called a Zuber, the driver directed to the rough area of her store as Jack tried to work out where exactly it was. Thankfully the driver was able to find it on his sat nav and dropped him off outside.

Previously he'd only seen it from afar, but now, after briefly glancing at the various vehicles outside, he walked up to the front door.

It was locked, a sign telling him that the shop was closed.

"Okay," he said, as he began walking around the back. There were a few other doors and such, all of which were locked. "You're not in, are you," he said, as he carried on around. "You're probably out on a job, as you're just fine, just as you told me and I told myself." He'd find a sheltered place to dump the nuts, maybe in one of the vehicles or sheds, and send her a text or something. That would do, and he could kindly inform those other _meddlers_, as that's what they were, that there was nothing wrong with what he was doing.

Good.

So, he set off, only to pause as he noticed something. The rear loading bay door was open. Just a little, lifted a few panels up, but enough. He could get in, and it was closer and less fiddly than the vehicle option. So, he ducked in, finding himself in a large repair area, a pair of cars raised up. "I'll just find a lounge to put these in," he said, as he started to walk forwards. He looked around, before a croaking voice cried out.

"-Jack!?"

He froze. "Hi, Skye, I…"

"Thank god it's you," she cried, her voice still dry and weak. Scared too, yet hopeful.

"Skye?"

"-I didn't think anyone would come, I thought… -I thought…" she said, before breaking off, crying. Whimpers and sobs came out, and Jack put the nuts down and scanned about with his ears. Her voice was coming from under one of the cars and, walking forwards, Jack saw two things. The first was that one of the cars was jacked up and located near a service pit. The second was that there were two crutches right next to it. Jack raced over to the edge and looked down at Skye, her state leaving him speechless.

She was on the floor, laying on her side and tensed up, haggard and unkempt, her face looking shrunken and withered. Surveying the situation, he looked straight to her bad foot, seeing the plaster cast still on it. It was her good foot, stuck up in the air, that was the problem, caught in a tangle of wires and cables, held taught by her weight. That was why she was in an awkward position, snared up against the side of the pit, trapped and unable to move. With her hand paws stuck on the ground and her bad foot paw unable to take her weight, the only way she'd be able to untangle herself was with the use of her trapped good foot paw. Unable to get onto that, she had no hope of getting out of there, none at all.

"Help me, please," she sobbed, whimpering.

"I… How?" he asked, his heart beating faster as he looked around. Her crutches! He ran over, just as she called out.

"Try to loosen the leads or something."

"How about this," he urged, bringing the crutches over. He passed them down, one at a time, and she grabbed hold of them.

"Try… Try the leads, please."

"Okay," he said, before pausing as he noticed two more things. The first was the overturned trolley in the corner of the pit, the second was the filth around her. He smelt the second one too and gagged, but pushed on, following the leads back. They were a tangle, caught on a bit of metal sticking out of the ground, and he raced over and tried to lift them up. "Can… Can you loosen the pressure just for a sec?"

"Hold on," she replied, as he heard her moving about, the clicking of her clutches sounded out. He pulled up and out again, before it gave way. He let go as they slipped from his arms and into the pit, the sound of them and a vixen hitting the floor ringing out.

…

There was a sob, and then a cry, like that of a broken child, as the sound of clicking rang out. Skye made her way to the ladder at the end of the pit, holding her crutches in her wrist as she hobbled out. Jack met her at the other side, pulling her and dragging her out as she cried and cried, something he never thought he'd see from her.

She clutched her stomach and whimpered and shook, before looking up at him. Her terrified, red, wavering eyes met his for just a second, before she leapt in, holding him tight, clutching him like a child holding a stuffed toy after a terrible nightmare. He almost felt like the air was being squeezed out of him, but he held on and held back as she rubbed her cheek against his and embraced him, rocking him back and forth as she just cried and cried. "Thank you," she finally said, in a broken whimper.

"Thank you."

"Thank you…"


	34. Skye's Fall 3

**Chapter 3:**

**.**

**AN: So, the final chapter of this Jack-Skye story... And I've done a bit of artwork for it, currently over on the A03 version if you want a look.**

**.**

Jack was shaken. This was not the Skye that had left him a few days ago. She trembled and shook as she scooted along, making her way into the part of the building where she lived. Slamming open a door, slumping down hard onto a sink, she turned on the tap and began nursing it like a kit.

She broke off, coughing and spluttering, before reaching for it again. Her throat pulsed with each gulp, before she broke off, gagging. A second gag, and her stomach turned, clear fluid vomiting up from her mouth and into the sink.

The bunny was speechless, but he held back. Skye… Skye would prefer it that way, wouldn't she?

The vixen leant to the tap and began sipping, slowly but surely. There was a moment or two when she'd pause, holding her stomach and doubling over, but she held it in and, eventually, finished. Her chest rose and fell, in and out as if she'd just finished a run, and she looked at Jack with her wavering kit like eyes. He walked over and, once more, she hugged him. Hugged him and petted him, as she sniffed and began to waver, on the edge of tears.

Jack held her back. She needed it. She deserved it. There was no internal arguing or debate, he just did it.

.

…

"What happened?" he asked quietly, as one of her fingers ran up and down his ear for comfort.

"I was on the trolley," she said, her voice hollow, weak and distant. "I… -I was just doing some checks, and you don't need your legs for that, do you? I… -I was doing it by myself, and I felt my good leg get caught in stuff. Those leads, and… and…"

She trailed off and he clutched her tighter. He'd be rocking her but, due to their size, she was the one rocking him. It had the same effect though. "Don't worry, I'm here."

"I was kicking it to let go, and I felt one of the casters slip into a channel in the floor. I just… -just thought I could wiggle and knock some more, and…"

Jack had to hold his mouth tightly as her claws began pricking his back.

"I remember it slipping. Pain… Then my leg, stuck. I… I tried to get up, but I couldn't put any weight on my bad leg. I tried, I really… -I really did, but it was agony, and my good leg was caught and wouldn't come loose…"

"You're safe now," he said. "You're safe. You're… smelly."

She choked a little, sniffing a bit. "When I had to go, I tried to move around, but…"

Looking down, Jack noticed the staining on her clothes.

"I'm going to need you to do something," she said, breathing in and out.

"What's that?"

"I…" she began, before biting her lip. Jack let go so he could see her fully, her tail wrapping around her body and the tip going into her paws, where it was gripped and tightly fussed with. Her ears folded hard against her head, she took a deep breath in before speaking. "Can you help me shower?"

He nodded. That was just standing around pointing a thing, right? He could do that.

"In the blue cupboard there's a stool and plastic bag," she explained, "We can use that to elevate and shield my cast. You can find it while I… -you know."

Jack nodded, turning around before pausing. "Won't I be seeing you… '_-you know_', anyway? If I'm helping you shower?"

"Oh, right," she realised, saying it quietly. "Just get the stuff please."

The bunny complied, turning back as she pulled off her shirt, revealing her chest underneath. Like many female mammals, it almost looked muscled, though he knew it was really from her mammaries. She covered the two primary ones at the top with her paws, looking away, before dropping them down to her jeans to undo the buttons. "You'll see it anyway," she noted, "and this." Straining, she began unrolling the jeans and her underwear, Jack unable to help himself from noticing some of the staining. Most of it was along the outside flank of her bad leg, the one she'd been laying on. She struggled to get the jeans past the cast and took a breath in. "Help?" she asked, pathetically. He helped, and off it came, Skye bare in the room in front of him. "Next step, get the shower on and I'll get in. Switch the top dial to the top two red lines."

As he stepped in, jumped up to grab the shower head and then leapt again to turn it on, Skye made her way over. She slipped into the base of the shower, putting her leg up and far out, before pointing to the top of her head. She looked miserable and as the hot water hit her head it only got worse, her fur becoming sodden while her ears drooped down pathetically.

Jack held the head there for a second or two, wondering both her reasons for asking him to do things like this that she could easily do, and why he was doing it. The front of his clothes were already getting wet, despite his best efforts, for a start. Skye just sat there, slumping down more, beginning to sniff and cry, and Jack had enough. "Skye, there's no need to humiliate yourself," he said, lowering the shower head down so it only hit her shoulders.

"You need to shower me," she said, bitterly.

"Listen, I know you," he said. "I am an actor."

She looked up at him as he lowered the shower head to his chest, her ears folding back as she leant in closer.

"You're looking at the shower head and leaning in closer, you want it. Shower yourself."

"No," she said, her head turning away and her voice cracking. "I can't."

"Of course you can and you know…"

"OF COURSE I KNOW IT!" she shouted, sending Jack stumbling back. "Of course I know… Of course…" she continued, as her lips trembled and eyes watered. She looked away, the tears starting, before she doubled over, bawling into her paws. "Of… of… of course I know… I… I… I can do it… I… I… want to… but…"

"Why don't you do it then!?"

She carried on crying, pausing a little as Jack came over. Letting the shower hit her scalp up close, percolating down through her fur, he gave one of her shoulders a massage. "I… I… Feel like a fucking baby kit… I… I… hate this… I…"

"Then why are you doing this?"

"BECAUSE I HAVE TO!" She screamed out. Jack, having enough, leaped up and turned the shower off, coming in close to hug her. The front of his shirt was soaked, an unpleasant feeling flowing through, but he'd put up with it until the vixen was better. "Jack," she said, trying to take a calming breath. She began breathing in through her mouth and out through her nose, again and again. "Did you… Did you notice those clothes?"

"No."

"They're the same ones I wore when I visited you," she said. "I… I got home, had lunch. I closed the shop, wanting to go low on customers while I was… -well, you know…" She closed her eyes and choked out a sob. "Then I started working on the car, my foot got tangled, and…"

"Oh Skye," he gasped, shivering. That was three days, wasn't it? No food, no water, no wonder she'd gone straight for the tap. She was thirsty, and tired, and filthy and hungry… "I brought nuts."

"What?" she asked.

"I brought nuts," he repeated. "Food nuts, as I thought, mechanic: nuts…"

Her whole body shook as she barked out a laugh, before she then looked up into his eyes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said, moving in to scratch under her muzzle.

She nodded, before one of her paws came up to hold his. She looked at him, her gaze turning serious. "Three days," she said, before looking down. "No food, no water, no way to get out… -Nobody coming around because the shop was closed and I… and I told everyone I could handle it. My… My parents not checking in as I don't phone them regularly or…" She broke off, sniffing again. "I… I was going to die Jack," she said, her voice cracking. "I was going to die, and it was _MY_ fault because I can't accept help from anyone because I'm a stubborn little…"

"Whatever you're about to say, you're not," he said, sighing as he stepped around to her front. As if on a rail, he went straight into her chest, letting her hold her emotional support bunny as she rocked him back and forth.

"Tch…" she chided. "It's true though… all… -all of it… I had a lot of time to think. I wasn't ready, Jack. I wasn't… Not now, not like this. And I… -I remembered my parents and my sister and my friends and you and… and I begged for a second chance. A second chance where… Where I WOULDN'T make the same mistake again. Where… Where I'd ask for help, and then you came in. You come in and you save me and I'm filthy, and there's a shower, and it's a place to test… To test myself, and to prove I listened. That… That I kept my promise, and…"

She broke into a sob, Jack feeling her tears on his head, even if they were nothing compared to his soaked front.

"But I hated it. I felt like a stupid helpless kit, even though I wanted this. You were right, it was humiliating, and I saw that shower head and I knew… I knew that I could just take it. It was screaming inside me Jack… Screaming too… To just grab it, and not bother you, and be done even quicker and…" She went silent, looking down at the floor, enveloping Jack as she rubbed his back with her paws. "But what kind of mammal am I if I do that?"

"You're shivering."

"I'm cold.

"You need to shower."

"You need to shower me," she said, sighing. Her voice dripped with distaste. "Then dress me, then feed me, then tuck me into bed, stick a dummy in my mouth and read me a bedtime story for all the good it'll do…"

…

"Do you know who you remind me of?" he asked.

"Some mammal in a weird porno you directed?"

Jack harrumphed. "Skye, I'll have you know that any pornographic material I may or may not have directed, be it for 'funsies' or 'I'm young and needed the monies', would be distilled love, care and passion, and designed to move you so much you forgot the original purpose of watching it."

She shook, and he could feel a smile grow on her muzzle. "You didn't say no."

"Technically the answer is no. But to be honest, that's only due to starting the 'eeny' on the guy on the left, not on the right, and messing around with reins, bits and saddles and oh my instead. But that's not the point… -You remind me of Nick Wilde."

"I thought you were trying to cheer me up."

"I am."

"I think that you guys call this part 'jumping the shark'."

"I'm doing more of an Aesop which, as is evident, started with a wham line."

"Hmmm… The more you know."

"Anyway," Jack carried on. "I actually met him when Judy was trying to help him out. He was going through some stuff then. Did he tell you?"

"About still feeling like a hustler?"

"Yes," Jack said, before pausing. "Well actually no. He was trying to get away from that, and he'd convinced himself that he had to. He had to change the way he spoke, the way he acted, the very heart and soul of himself. And he'd been struggling, and got it into his head that he'd been stuck in an act for years. Judy asked me to help hustle him into realising that wasn't the case."

"Uh-hu," she said, pausing. "That… was Nick?"

"Yes, and what we were trying to do was make him realise that he wasn't stuck in an act. That it was all him, and that was okay. From what Judy said, he'd changed a lot, and there was no need to throw out the baby with the bath water…"

…

"The more I hear about him," Skye said, sounding unsure. "The more it seems he's changed. I… -Maybe he went through something like what I did, just now, during the howler plot." She huffed. "And if he did, well he's a better fox than I am. He stuck the landing."

"So did you," Jack said. "You want to change your ways, don't you?"

He felt her nod her head and he let go, stepping back. Seeing her as she was, she looked extra pathetic, a half-drowned half-starved embarrassment to vulpine kind. Jack just wanted to see her right. "Don't throw out the baby with the bath water."

Taking a deep breath in, Skye nodded. "Okay then… If you turn it on and bag up my leg, I'll shower myself."

Jack nodded. "I could get new clothes."

"That… I didn't think about that," she said, blushing a little. "I'm sorry, I haven't been having a good day."

"Well, let's turn that around then," Jack said, as he walked in and jumped up, the shower turning back on. Grabbing the bag, he put it over her cast as she worked herself over with the shower head, a massive grin on her face. He left her like that as he walked into her room and picked out a set of clothes for her. As he returned, though, something occurred to him.

He was doing all of this…

It wasn't something to do with acting.

It wasn't something he technically had to do…

Was this what Haida was talking about? Duty… Sacrifice not feeling like a chore? He didn't know. Maybe it was just because there was no one else to look after her…?

Well, there were her parents, but…

…

Jack was at a loss; he couldn't think of a reason for them not to do it. To call them and absolve himself of this. Yet no urge grew within him to do just that. One phone call and he could take the easy way out, and nobody would be harmed…

Yet…

He shook his head, knocking on the door before coming in the shower room. Skye had finished off, and he brought over her crutches and helped her up as she went into her fur dryer. She could operate it with one paw and was soon done, quickly dressing herself after. "Now," she said, unsure of herself. "I guess I lie down, relax, and let you take care of me."

"You lead the way," he said, as she went into the back room. She only had a little lounge, a window with blinds at the back, two old sofa's against the wall and a decent TV in the corner. There were decorations here and there though, pictures of friends and family. Settling down on one of the sofa's, she pulled a blanket over her and snuggled up into herself, tail over muzzle.

Jack looked at her, thinking. "How about those nuts?"

As if to answer, her stomach rumbled. "Yes please," she said. "Eating a few of them to start off with might help my stomach adjust. I don't want to throw up."

Jack nodded, and walked out back to get them, thinking as he did so. She was safe, she was okay, he could leave and be fine with it. The old Jack wouldn't even debate about it. Yet here he was, wanting to stay. Why… Why?

He paused as he passed the pit where she'd been trapped and sat down, his feet hanging over the edge. She'd thought she would die in there, didn't she? Alone, thirsty and hungry, regretting the very thing that had defined her…

Yet he, the deus ex machina, had come in to give her a second chance. She'd gone into the pit, been sullied, yet chosen to be reborn. Her character had developed, a shaky development that she herself was trying to work on, yet it was still something big. Something great.

Were this a work of fiction, he'd stick on so that the audience wouldn't see him as a dick. Yet if he walked out now, there wasn't anyone who'd see him like that. This was real life though…

Skye was trying to change, and had hoisted the responsibility of helping her onto him, without his consent. Haida would say it was his duty… But based on what they were, it wasn't.

What would Judy think… Or what would Nick think…

He didn't know, but he realised something. Both cops had changed. Both had faced the worst part of themselves, reflected in a mirror, and vowed to alter it. They had gone through the same thing, figuratively at least, as she had. It may have been messy in cases, but they all wished to move on.

So, should he too?

.

…

His eyes lingered on Skye's cart, and he closed his eyes and breathed in. Doing more than the minimum you had to do, outside of acting at least. He could give it a go, couldn't he?

So, he stood up and marched on, grabbing the bags of nuts and heading back to Skye. He'd give it a try.

"They smell good," she said, as he past them over. "I'll take the mild ones for now, try and get my stomach ready for the spicy ones. And bigger stuff. I'm still thirsty, so a jug of water would be great."

Jack nodded and thought. Bigger stuff… A bigger meal… Old Jack would call take out. It was easy, convenient, cheap… What would putting more effort be like? Well, he guessed, it would be making something yourself. Showing you cared. Maybe something she liked.

"I can get you something else, if you want," he said. "-Cook it up. What's your favourite dish?"

Slipping a nut into her mouth, chewing and swallowing, Skye thought for a second or two. "I don't know. But, if you weren't here and I was making something…" She trailed off in thought, before her eyes widened. "I know! Pumpkin and hominy soup," she said, her eyes lighting up. "When I was little and sick, my mother would cook it and spoon feed it to me. It always made me feel better."

"Right," Jack said, nodding. "Pumpkin and hominy soup, do you have the recipe?"

"If you give me your phone, I can find it for you," she said, promptly receiving his phone and beginning to tap away. "You know," she mused softly. "She'd even spoon feed me when I was ten and eleven, stuck in bed and shivering… I still loved it then, it didn't make me feel like a kit at all. Funny how things…" She trailed off, handing the phone back over. "I've got cans of hominy in the cupboards next to the sink, and some pumpkin in the fridge. There's a blender on the counter, and a pot drying too."

"Okay," Jack said, preparing himself. This would be his first-time cooking in… -he couldn't remember when, but he'd try. He pulled himself up tall and proud. "Skye, I am here to serve your needs, recreate your childhood bliss, and nurse you back to help."

"Thanks," she said. "-Though I still can't stand the idea of being spoon fed. You can pass on that one."

Jack nodded and off he went, checking the recipe. It seemed simply enough. Cut, boil and drain the pumpkin, before putting it in the blender. Add the stock, some cream and a mix of spices, then blend and add the hominy. All easy-peasy and a good place to start, he mused, until he got into the kitchen.

For Skye, the counters were a bit tall but not insurmountable.

For him, they were insurmountable.

"Right then," he said, his eyes about level with the countertop. "How do I…" Looking around, he spotted a small step ladder, likely used by Skye to lift herself further up. Bringing it around, his vision and reach greatly improved, and he leant forwards to grab a jug and fill it with water. He then took it and a glass back to Skye before returning. Grabbing one of the pans, he filled it with water from the tap and…

It was heavy now.

His arms strained as he tried to lift it out from under the tap, just about managing to do so. Pulling it across and closer it became far easier to handle, and he slipped it onto one of the hobs before turning it on. Next step, the pumpkin. Over to the fridge, he found some in the crisper drawer. It was about three-quarters of a green one, and he lifted the heavy thing out, his arms beginning to ache as he took it up the ladder and slipped it onto the counter top.

"-Jack!?"

"Yes Skye?"

"Just to let you know, we always used a can of coconut milk instead of cream. It's with the hominy."

Keeping it in mind, he moved on. He brought out a set of scales, and found out that there was three times as much pumpkin as needed, so he grabbed a knife and began cutting. It was hard. The knife was just a bit too big for him, and he had to push and shove to cut through the tough flesh, finally doing so. He groaned though as he realised he'd now have to chop it all up, though…

-It was only the skin that was tough, which he had to remove anyway. Grabbing a nearby peeler, he set to work, finding out just how tough the skin was. He needed to yank back the peeler, and more often than not he only pulled off a small chunk of the skin, the top layer at that. There was a less tough layer beneath that also needed to be removed.

"Right Jack," he told himself. "They can do it, you can do it."

And so he did, bit by bit, and slowly but surely hating it more and more. He was hot, the water boiling away right next to him making him uncomfortable. His arms ached, his brain was complaining, he was getting sticky stuff in his paw, which normally wouldn't irritate him but was. The worst part was his left paw. He had to use it to hold the cutting part of the peeler, otherwise it would just pivot around with each pull of his right paw. But now, after being cut into so much, it was feeling raw. The final insult to injury was that he was only halfway done too.

This was stupid.

He could find a restaurant that could likely make a better soup and get them to order in. It would likely be quicker too. Wouldn't Skye want that? She was hungry, after all. Starved for three days, her only relief so far coming from a bunch of peanuts.

"I'll tell her," he grunted, slipping down and walking back in. She'd probably prefer it, while it was a silly thing on his behalf. Succumbing to peer pressure, sure and simple. Anyhow…

He trailed off as he turned into the lounge, spotting Skye on the phone. Holding it up to her ears, she was speaking into it, her eyes glistening with tears. "I… I know," she said. "It had been a while, and I'll stay there a good time to compensate." There was a pause, then a laugh. "Normally I'd say stuff about how I don't need it, or that I'm not your little kit any more… -Okay, maybe I am. I have been a bit silly recently. I mean, part of me is still saying those things, but you want to care for me, you get to care for me… BWAHAHAHA…. -Sure you can sign it. Dad can too. Speaking of which…"

Jack looked on, before closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. With one swift turn, he marched back to the kitchen. She was serious about putting things right, so he could be serious about something. Just one thing, other than his acting.

Just one thing.

Those words tasted bitter in his mouth as he worked on the pumpkin, finally peeling it all. Cutting it up afterwards was easier, even if it still took a few yanks down for the larger cuts. Climbing onto the counter to peer in, he saw that there was still enough water in there to cook the pumpkin, which he threw in. Hard part over. Grabbing and opening the cans, he put the coconut milk in the blender, alongside the required spices, while rinsing the hominy. Now for the stock, he guessed he'd use one of those cube things. Finding one, he chucked it in, before adding the lid and blending it up. A quick check on the pumpkin, using a slotted ladle to bring some out and a fork to test it, and he guessed it was done. He drained and rinsed it, adding it to the blender, sticking the lid on and letting it rip. That done, checking the temperature, he poured in the hominy and had a taste…

"This is the culinary equivalent of a Buster Moon production," he said, disappointed at the rank mediocrity of it. So much for the effort, it wasn't as if there was something he'd missed, was there?

Out of curiosity, he checked the recipe again, pausing as he saw a note about seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, along with some other spices that could be added. Finding the two main ones, plus some paprika in a jar, he started adding them in and tasting, smiling as it turned out quite okay. Finally, grabbing a bowl and pouring it in, he began taking it out to Skye.

She was curled up and sleeping under the blanket, tail over her nose and fluttering slightly with each breath. She looked so much better though, her face far less gaunt. Both the nuts and the water were gone.

Lightly tapping her, he saw her eyes flutter, her nose twitch and sniff, and she slowly uncurled herself. "That smells…" she said, gently taking it in her paws and having a taste. She flinched back, moaning as it hit her tongue, before swallowing it down and turning to Jack. "Thanks," she said, her voice cracking up a little.

Jack smiled back. She liked it, she liked it a lot! He'd done something and it worked. He felt good. "It wasn't much."

"It was something," she said, taking another spoonful. "Something I didn't expect from you."

Jack gave a nervous laugh. "Well, you and everyone else is trying to move on… I thought I'd try to be less lazy, and more like a boyfriend. That's sort of what I am, isn't it?"

"Did Haida rub off on you?"

"Him and a few others, including you."

She nodded. "Haida sounds like a great guy," she said, taking a few more spoonful's. "If I'd… If I ended up dying, in there…" She trailed off as she said it, putting the soup down. "The poor guy would beat himself up about it. He's perfect for Retsuko."

"They're a good match."

"Like us."

"Are we though?" Jack asked, a bit sceptically. He sighed. "Haida was chewing himself off over all these things, while I ignored it all. I only came here after getting nagged and nagged. When cooking that soup, I gave up at one point and was going to call takeout. I… -I'm not really good boyfriend material, and… I'm trying… I feel like I want to try and do more now. It felt good going above and beyond, helping you with that soup. But it's just baby steps."

Skye smiled. "You do know that I got up at one point, I was hearing you struggle with the cutting or peeling, and I had the urge to save you the effort and do it myself?"

"No," he whispered.

She nodded and looked away. "Before all this, I think the two of us were good for each other. We both gave what the other wanted. We've changed now, but I think we still do that."

Jack's eyes widened, and he nodded his head. "You need to accept more help and let go, I need to take on more stuff myself." He smiled. "I think you're right."

"Yeah," she agreed, taking another spoonful of food, savouring it. "And I need my emotional support bunny. These last few days were quite emotional."

"I can imagine," Jack replied, as he walked forwards and into her lap. She unbuttoned her shirt, pulling him close so she could feel the heat from his body, before rubbing and petting with one paw, the other feeding herself. It didn't take long for her to finish it all, and they laid down with each other. Jack slipped his shirt off, so it was fur against fur, and they embraced cuddled and talked.

.

.

.

"Let's have a slothfieldian conversation."

"What's that?"

"It's a talk about nothing."

"But we're talking about something. We're talking about a slothfieldian conversation."

"Ah, Skye, but if we were in a piece of fiction, then it wouldn't have any point in relation to the plot. In the grand scheme of things, it's a conversation about nothing."

"But it's still telling everyone what a slothfieldian conversation is."

"Skye," Jack said, aloofly. "Maybe 'about nothing' is in a metaphoric sense?"

"I'm a mechanic. Metaphor things are dumb. It should be called a conversation about random stuff instead."

.

.

…

"A potato tank!?"

"Yup, I got an old golf caddie and converted it over the summer, adding 'armour' and a potato cannon. My Dad gave guidance and notes, but he encouraged me to do most of it myself."

"Maybe that's where you got it from," Jack suggested. He'd been laying on her chest, ears laying on her fur and hearing the engine-like beat of her heart, but he looked up to see her reaction.

"Probably, though if that's the case, why doesn't Sweetie have it?"

"Sweetie?"

"My sister, or rather our nickname for her; her birth parents gave her a truly terrible name," she replied, gesturing up to one of the nearby pictures. Jack saw Siwili standing next to a swift fox todd, two younger vixens in front of them. One was evidently Skye, while the other was a red fox vixen with very pointed features. She looked very prim and proper, especially with her sharp rectangular glasses.

"Adopted, I see."

"Grey and swift foxes can't breed," she said, quietly. "But that worked out for the pair of us nicely." She paused, as she looked down. "I'll be staying with my parents while my leg heals… But feel free to visit."

"Maybe when I'm at a higher boyfriend standard," he said, pausing. If this was going serious, he'd have to mammal up quite a bit to do that. Despite the glowing embers of a drive that had been lit in him, the road ahead felt long and daunting. "We can still date."

"With Haida and Retsuko. Maybe Nick and Judy too."

"I could try planning it."

"Just not something like those Inter meetups," she said, moving down to brush his head fur a little with her claws. "Not my kind of thing."

"I'm not being lazy anymore," Jack replied. "I'd try something more creative…"

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Bringing his phone out so both could see the lyrics, Jack began singing, his voice hitting a dark and cunning baritone. "_Val Jean, at last! We see each other plain. Monsieur Le Mayor, you'll wear a different chain."_

"_Before you say another word Jack -Jav-vert… Javer! Before you chain me up like a slave again…"_

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…

"How about we say the worst thing we ever did?" She pondered.

"-What do you mean, worst thing?"

"Like, crimes and stuff."

"Are you going to tell me you have ammunition for that A-A gun?"

She sniggered. "Don't be crazy. No, the worst thing I ever did was prank call an entire tribe."

Jack smiled, he knew the perfect act and response for this. "Hmmmm… Kinky."

"I was only eight though, so it was more me calling them stinky heads."

"Did they deserve it?"

"Totally. They broke my mother's heart."

Jack paused, looking up at Skye and around. Pumpkin and hominy soup, the dreamcatchers here and there, a little statue up in the corner to ward off The Thunderbird. Given Siwili's name, and how she embraced it more… "What did they do to her?"

"They were her tribe," she said, sadly. "She loved the culture, but when she met my dad, she loved him more…"

"They threw her out?"

"Looking back, I guess that they thought she was throwing out all the connections anyway. Leaving a struggling tribe for a mammal of a different species, a soldier in the army of the nation that they view as the oppressor… But they were still stinky heads."

"Cool. I'm continually committing benefits fraud."

After briefly being subjected to her best earthquake impression, Skye managed to stop coughing and shaking so much to ask Jack what the hell he meant by that.

"You know I said that I'm a tehuantepec jackrabbit?"

She nodded her head. "Wait, so you're not, but you're claiming the benefits for an endangered species!?" she asked, a hint of shock and anger in her voice.

Jack gulped. "Well I actually am one, kind of."

Skye blinked. "What do you mean, kind of?"

"I mean kind of. Half and half…"

Her eyes widened. "You're a hybrid…"

"My mother was a tehuantepec jackrabbit. She put it on my birth certificate, and legally I am one," he said, before sighing. "But it became clear that I was different from my family. More stripes, much greyer fur. When I was a kit, my 'father' treated me like I didn't exist. When I confronted him, he said that I reminded him of her betrayal, and that if I wanted a father figure I should ask her to find it… -She slept around, a lot, so I still don't know what my other half is."

"So, I guess that you never informed the government."

"No," he said, shrugging. "Legally, I'm only forced to do that if I have a DNA test or medical confirmation that I'm only half endangered. They actually can't charge me for failing to check that I was given the right species at birth."

"So, you're staying safe, then," she said, "playing the system. Why not come clean?"

He sighed. "Endangered species protection is harsh. I only get half the benefit if I'm a hybrid, it's to try and encourage the species to stay within their numbers. I… -Being in my line of works, things can be good one year, lean the next. But a tight year forces you to drop out, and then it's over. I've had a good few of those years in the past, they'll happen in the future. The full payments are what lets me get through it all."

"So, integrity or your passion?" she noted, as he nodded. Closing her eyes, she thought about it. "Given that you not getting the full stuff does seem unfair to me, I'll forgive you," she said. "But if your secret is confirmed, you throw it in, okay?"

"Okay," he said, nodding his head.

"Promise?"

"I always planned to do that. Promise."

Nodding her head, Skye pulled him in closer, giving a good few strokes. "My hero hybrid. You should get extra."

"Shame I don't. The only plus side of being a hybrid is that they will fund any hybrid fertility programs, as long as it's isolating and producing more of the rare kind. However, I don't even know if I'm fertile or not."

"You want any kits?"

He snorted. "I wouldn't know where to start. My baby is acting. I probably wouldn't give a real baby anywhere near enough time. What about you?"

"Sometimes I feel like I have a baby shaped hole in me. But I think I've found a hare sized peg."

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…

"I'm thinking of babies again."

"Baby steps, Skye."

"It's more the friend's baby shower. She already has a son, but he's fourteen, so she's having a new one." Pausing, Skye looked down. "Want to come?"

Jack thought about it, before nodding. "Why not?" It was something extra. He had no connection to them. No one would hate him if he quit and didn't spend the effort. So why not try?

"You have changed," she said, softly.

"Some things happened."

"It was the same with her, the friend," Skye said, closing her eyes and thinking. "She learnt about her first pregnancy, and then that a fellow graduate in the rangers was picked up and taken off by an eagle. Sweetie was in his squad…. She tried to find him, all they got was an eye. Nothing else at all. So, Felicity left, dragging her fellow-ranger husband with her."

"Was your sister okay?"

"Shaken, yes, but she managed," Skye admitted. "She actually joined the rangers on advice from my Dad. Get some experience and acclimation before she committed to the army proper. She was far more into data and organising you see, but the army needs to supply every soldier with rations and equipment, every day… They needed mammals like her, and she's more of a mammal's mammal than I am. Good at organising others, which is how she rose up. She even goes by her old family name, no matter how dumb it is, to avoid accusations of nepotism."

"Going to meet her when you're with your family?"

"She's still out in Korea," she said sadly. "Will be for a while."

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"Skye, have you watched the Clawshank Redemption yet?"

"No."

"Right then!" Jack announced, slipping off her and over to the TV. "Education time."

"Wait, -I didn't know it was a documentary."

"It's not. I'll just put it on and play, okay?

"Okay."

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…

"Wait, hang on… No-no-no-no-no-no-yes!"

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…

_Sniff… Snifff _"Poor Brooks…"

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"He's like teenage Nick but somehow more annoying."

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"Oh my god… This is his chance…"

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"WHAT! SCREW YOU!"

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"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

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"Oh god, I can't look, I can't look…. "

…

"What do you mean he's gone!?"

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"YES!"

…

"YES!YES!YES!"

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"THAT'S KARMA!"

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_Sniff… Sniff… _"That's Karma… That, that…" Unable to find the words, Skye just clapped. "Thanks Jack, I… -We should do this more often."

"My dear Skye," he said, in a very hammy posh accent. "It would be my humble honour and privilege to sacrifice my time and energy in the noble of pursuit of updating your film repertoire."

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"I'm hungry," she said.

"I can warm up the last bowl of soup."

"Hmmm. I think I'm ready for something meatier." She said, pondering as she watched the next film, Zoofella's. "I… -Oooh, this is where they do the long walk through the kitchen?"

"Enjoying the wonders of reverse cultural osmosis are we?"

"I guess, -what about ostrich ribs?"

"If you want," he said, smiling as the mobster and his date carried on through the kitchen.

"I know a great place. Adam's ribs. It's tastegasmic."

"Seriously?"

"Yup."

"With every order?"

Skye nodded, before her ears raised. "Every time, Jack. Every time…"

Jack looked at her, at the screen, then back again, amazed. "You…"

"Did you proud, film bun?"

"-Yes."

"Are you going to kiss my like no other boy did before?" she whispered softly.

"I should have seen that coming," he said with a wink, leaning in to give her a peck on her nose. Still on her chest, he couldn't help but feel her heart beat faster and, far below, her tail wag a bit. Looking up, he saw her lean in and give his own nose a quick peck, before her tongue came out and gave the fur between his eyes a single deep groom. It was a strange feeling, but a good one. A very good one. "How much of that could you do before the food gets here?" he asked, smiling. His grin widened as he felt her heart beat and tail wag even faster.

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"You should try some," she said, moaning as she picked a bone clean.

"It's not good for me," the currently very well-groomed and very happy about it hare replied.

"Come on."

"Skye," he said, going all aloof. "While I do indeed want to take on more stuff outside of acting, medical problems are not one of them."

"A little bit won't harm you," she said. "There are some hares that eat lots of meat. The Efrafans, I think… My sisters' old partner, the one who died, was one. Her current second in command is too. She writes home about the crazy 'Inle-Roo' she bosses around."

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"Oh-my-god-Skye-these-are-incredible-what-have-I-been-missing-my-entire-life-is-a-lie…"

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"I have a crazy idea," Jack pondered. "Something 'extra' I can do."

"Which is?"

"How much effort would it be to arrange a delivery of these ribs to your sister?"

"You plan to ship ostrich ribs, which are often cooked in the local style there anyway, to Korea, at great expense?"

"Yes."

"Let me repeat that. You plan to ship ostrich ribs, which are often cooked in the local style there anyway, to Korea at great expense?"

"They are Adam's ribs."

…

"Jack, there is literally no argument against that. Be my guest."

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"And done! Ordered, sent on their way, all paid for and… What's with that face."

"It's the face when I remember why I like to do things myself."

"Why… What have I done wrong?"

"You forgot the coleslaw! And he _literally _just told you not to use the phone, lady! He's now going to be arrested. He's now going to be arrested. He now… -See, told you!"

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The mini film fest ending, Skye yawned. She'd had it rough, she was tired, but she was happy. She snuggled against Jack, holding him tight. "Thanks," she said.

"It was nothing."

"You saved my life," she said, smiling as she looked at him, a little tongue preen coming out and touching one of his ears. "So, unless you're a secret agent or something, I don't think it is."

"Skye," he noted proudly, sitting up above her. "I happened to be walking past and merely supplied my aid. My real achievement was making you that soup!"

"I'd say that's a close second," she whispered, raising up her paw and stroking the back of his head. "I never asked that of you… I'd never ask you when we started dating... But you chose to do it anyway. Thanks."

"Well, it really wasn't much," he said, thinking about it truthfully. He had a long way to catch up with other mammals. "But we can keep seeing each other, and keep helping each other, and keep hugging each other."

Skye chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds good."

Jack nodded, before an idea came into his head. After all, Skye was trying to accept more helping paws, and let others do things she could do. He was trying to do more than his passions. This sort of was a passion, but what the hell?

He leant in and down and his lips touched Skye's. Seeing what he was doing, she held onto the back of his head, her other paw clutching beneath his rump and tail, and she held onto him as she kissed back. The little dance was brief and simple, yet time seemed to slow as they touched and caressed each other, their love flowing back and forth with thrusts of their tongues, her long and roughly combed one coiling and snaking around his own as it wrapped it in its love. Claws dug in, fur rubbed, teeth playfully nipped and eyes were closed but the world felt bright and good, and then they let go, gazing into each other's beautiful eyes.

"Thanks for that," she gasped, kissing him on the forehead before leaning in to give his head a good tongue groom, one that quickly moved up to the front of one of his ears. In between his shaking, twitching, moaning, foot-kicking and chittering, he snuggled further into her, hugging her tight until they called it a day. He booped her on the nose, they hugged each other, their paws lingering in each other's for a noticeably long time before finally slipping off, and they parted for the night. He called a Zuber, placed everything into her dishwasher, before saying goodbye.

The drive back was quiet as he thought to himself.

It had been a very funny day, but he felt that he was on the cusp of something. He'd always been an actor. It was his heart, his soul, his very being. Everything had been focussed towards that, all other things ignored. Yet he felt them opening up on him. It felt daunting, for sure, but he didn't think he could step back now.

He felt like something had changed in him. Part of him still wanted to relax and be lazy, and, after seeing both Nick and Skye, he knew that there was nothing wrong with that. No need to throw out the baby with the bathwater. But there were important things out there, things that he held responsibilities towards. Ones that he'd try to meet. It would need a lot of work, effort, and perseverance to see it through, but he'd do it. Starting with some baby steps and working his way up, he'd try his damn best.

Arriving back at the theatre, he yawned as he walked to his office. He could sleep in there tonight. Opening the door, he stepped in, only to pause.

…

For all the times he'd walked into here and defended it, or dismissed others concerns, he now asked himself how he could do that. The floor couldn't be seen, the smell of rotting food was in the air, papers and books and old clothes were scattered about. He…

"This is a big step," he said. "Maybe get some practice first?"

After all, he was still weak at this whole thing. If keeping this room clean was like rolling a boulder up a hill, at least he should know that he could move said boulder to begin with. He could just leave it be, maybe put it in as a low priority.

Sure…

Of course he could…

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…

Dammit," he said, grabbing a bin bag and moving over to a stinking plastic cup, the bottom half filled with mold. He tossed it in and looked around, his ears drooping at the sight of the task at paw. He'd likely only scratch the surface, even after spending hours on it and making his whole body ache from the effort. Most of him was screaming at him to give it up, to leave it, but… "I hate this," he groaned, beginning to pick up more rubbish. "This is going to suck."

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**AN: And there we go. Actually one of the latest additions to the series 1 plan, this came in after I finalised Jack's 'lazy' personality. I wanted the Zootopia four to be unique, with nuanced characterisations that played against each other well. Skye originally had her own arc in season 1, with Jack's big arc starting in season 2. After working out their personalities though, I realised that there were very easy season 1 arcs that could be given to them. Skye needed to learn to accept the help of others. Jack needed to decide to get some motivation going. The obvious choice was to have Skye go into a situation where she needed Jack's help and going from there.**

**The poor girl went through a lot here, so I hope the second half of gooey SavageSkye fluff was enough to put a smile on your face.**

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4077 Military Area Surveillance Headquarters.

Ihyeon-Yi. South Korea.

About Lunch time.

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Far away from Zootopia, a massive black hare entered a mess tent. Dressed in the traditional battle kilt of his people (which, as repeated ad nauseum, was not part of some long ongoing plot to earn a section 8 discharge), and with a family sickle sword on his belt, the Efrafan sniffed around before approaching his fellow soldiers. They were selected from a wide variety of different units, species and nationalities, just like he'd been, and they were all looking on, wide eyed, as plates of food were being laid out. He passed the friendly base priest, Father Mulcaty, who was talking with a massive horse by the name of B J Buttercup, before approaching his commander. "Lieutenant," he said, giving her a short sharp salute. "Are these the famed delicacies of your homeland?"

His vulpine superior smirked a little, her tail going up into her paws for a little fidget. "I'm afraid our benefactor forgot the coleslaw, Raibert," she said. "But these are the very 'Adam's Ribs' that I've talked about."

Sergeant Jacob Emmanuel Raibert looked at the meaty feast and salivated, something that no longer drew concerned looks from his fellow herbivores given his well-known taste for meat. "It will be a true honour then, to sample this delicacy of your people, Vixen-Ra." He leant in to take a bite, only to be cut off as another mammal burst into the tent. He was a panicked fennec fox, his giant ears the source of his nickname.

Buttercup spoke up. "What's up, Radar?"

"DPRK tunnel party approaching the surface two miles east," he said. "We need to get going!"

There was a collection of groans as the assembled mammals put down their plates and raced out. Raibert looked blankly at it all. "But it's Adam's Rib's!" he groaned, before he scowled. He grabbed his gun and, cursing a variety of Efrafan expletives, charged out.

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**AN: And thanks for Ubernoner for letting me cameo his OC, Jacob Raibert, here. If you haven't read 'Son's of Efrafa' yet, read 'Sons of Efrafa'.**


	35. Size Matters 1

**FFoZ S1E15**

**Size Matters.**

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**AN: Welcome back. I'm very happy that so many of you enjoyed Skye's Fall, interested that none of you (seemed) to have picked up on a monstrous twist revealed in it, and I hope you enjoy this too. The Fox family baby shower is coming up soon, but first is a double shot featuring Basil and Dave. Many thanks to Dancou-Maryuu, my ever thorough proof reader.**

**Oh, and also...**

**WE'RE OVER 200,000!**

**I'm really excited to pass that milestone, and it won't be long before we pass Embers of the Past to make this my longest fic.**

**.**

"Alright mates, 'G'day's' aside, I'm pretty sure that ya-don't like me and I'm very sure that I don't like you, but I may or may not have the one thing you want more than anything else in the world. That means we can come together for a little trade talk. You see, I like to think of myself as an opportunist. Heck, if it weren't for me being kidnapped and press-ganged by that cult back there, that could have been why I would hang around that old bunch; I wouldn't be there for the cause and the wacky politics, I'd be there to scam a bunch of moolah from the dipsticks. Heck, I was able to…"

"-I would advise you exercise your right to remain silent!" a rather worried lawyer barked out to his client.

Sitting on his metal chair, the orange jumpsuit-clad kangaroo snorted and gave him a look that wouldn't look out of place on a grumpy teenager. Slouching back down a little, he pulled his arms up to cross them, only to flinch as the cuffs attaching them to the table pulled tight. "Dammit," he hissed, his Outback accent really flaring up. "Could you maybe get some longer chains or somethin'? This is a major crimp in my style, you know?"

Standing across from him, a cheetah in blue narrowed her eyes, her tail swishing and flicking hard behind her, almost like a whip winding up ready to crack. She looked down to her side of the table and spoke. "Could we get this loudmouth some shorter chains?" She gave a brief glance up at him, before looking down at her superior. "Or a muzzle?"

Below her sat Detective Basil Dawson, the mouse confused as he looked up at her. "Why, he doesn't seem like a biter?"

Catano blinked a few times, before sighing. "It wasn't for biting, it…"

"-Ah, so maybe it was in case he spat," Basil mused on, rapping his finger against his muzzle.

"I was…"

"-Indeed, I've seen muzzles used on plenty of llamas and alpacas who've made use of that nasty habit…"

"Detective, I…"

"But why you'd suggest it when he hasn't…"

"-Please stop."

The mouse did just that, looking up at Catano before his eyes widened. "Ah, you were making an intimidating threat as you didn't like him. That makes sense now!"

Both were cut off though by the chuckling of their prisoner, who looked at them as he lay back on his chair, one leg crossing over the other. "Please, don't stop for me."

Basil paused, before looking up. "I think you'll find that we will. We want a chat with you."

"You know," he began slowly, "if you did, you didn't need to keep me waiting for so long." There was a pause as he gave a long yawn. "You know, I said I could help out with your little case on my first day here… and my second… and my third…"

"Given how we busted your terrorist cult," Catano began harshly, "we've been rather busy. Besides, I'm rather inclined to make mammals like you wait."

"Oh, so you're happy letting the remaining bad boys go about doing their bad boy stuff for longer, just so you can make some little victim of the machine wait a little. If that's your game, be my guest. They'll probably enjoy it, especially the extra time they have for horticulture. I heard purple flowers are back in fashion, though you wouldn't want to hear about that, would you?"

"We rather would," Basil cut in. "You said you could help us with furthering this case, and we want to hear how."

"Oh, it's very simple," he replied. "As I said before, I had no real philosophical attachment to those guys. Heck, it was my bad luck I was caught there on that day. -Kidnapped victim, remember…"

"Yeah," Catano huffed. "Right."

"Tchhh, they pull you out of your cell, give you a stick and ask you to fight, and now nobody believes you! I'm just glad you weren't alive to welcome back the Jonestown survivors, or any ones from that other crazy commune that went the same way in Bunnyburrow. Sadly, none of them take too well to desertion, otherwise I'd make like chocolate fondue." He smiled at them, waving his paws around in the limited way that he could. "If I weren't a victim, as I was saying, I'd be there to benefit off of them and their ways; in ways that may or may not have been legal but, if they weren't, I cannot say as that apparently it harms my legality. Heck knows why? I'd be a guy hurting terrorists!"

"Well," Basil huffed. "Regardless of who whether your blatant cover story is a lie or not, theft against any mammal is still a crime, and, secondly, you will not use a modified Glomar response on me!"

"I'm guessing I just did that," he gloated slyly. "So, screw you, Mr Victim-blamer. Now, back to the interesting story. Hypothetically speaking, let's say I wasn't a poor innocent roo that got kidnapped by the death cult and forced to fight at the last minute, ending up brutalised by the attacking police and held here under what, I think we can all agree, is a very sad miscarriage of justice. Let's say instead that I met them, decided that they were a little crazy, but decided that them being crazy meant plenty of chances to enrich myself off of them. Now, as you can see…"

The kangaroo prisoner paused a little before smirking. "Forgive me if I forget to clarify that this is all a what-if scenario moving forward," he said. "Tired, kept here for a long time in stressful conditions, I can be prone to slight verbal omissions, isn't that right Mr Lawyer?"

He nodded, before the prisoner carried on.

"I'm a very smart individual, and a very smart individual can recognise a high-risk operation when he sees one. Now, when faced with a high-risk operation, many smart mammals employ a little insurance, so I chose to go about getting some. I figured that, or rather would figure that, I need some beef on these guys. As a result, I may or may not of followed the various drops that they did, redistributing the night howler bulbs and refined pellets or whatever."

Basil nodded. "Right then. So, you know where Kazar's mammals were taking their foul produce. Now, if you give us this information, we can negotiate a reduced sentence…"

"-I think you mean a _fully_ reduced sentence," he clarified.

Catano's hackles raised up at the suggestion. "You really have the gall to demand that?!"

"Well," he smirked back. "The way I see it, I'm a victim of circumstance."

"Listen here," she scolded. "Detective Dawson may have been a bit too polite to call you out on your fictious little sob story, but I know the truth and I'm not afraid of calling it out. So, drop the act, and get ready for a slightly less very long stay behind bars!"

"You're really sure I'm a bad boy?" he mocked.

This time, Basil replied. "Don't let my formerly nice cop act deceive you, the chances of you deceiving us were quite simply a billion to one. We certainly know that you were involved in them, and you will pay the price for it!"

The kangaroo paused, before shrugging. "If you can prove your little story over mine in a court of law," he said, a little grin growing on his muzzle. "After all, I didn't confess to anything here, did I? Tell me, what overwhelming evidence is there that proves your truth over my truth."

Basil opened his mouth to speak, only to freeze, silent. Catano took over. "You really think a jury would be so gullible, you practically have 'GUILTY' written on your forehead."

"So, I'll ask for a judge to try my case," he said, smiling a little. "Or, if hypothetically I was involved and may be able to provide information, then I'd merely ask for the same level of freedom if I handed it over. I think that that's a win for everyone. You see, I'm quite a reasonable mammal when you get to know me."

Catano scowled. "We'll find evidence to prove your guilt," she warned. "Then, whether you go in front of a jury or not, you'll be spending a few dozen years in an even uglier uniform than that one. All you'll be able to do is take a few years off of that, if you talk to us next time."

"Next time?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "I think you can wait a bit longer, we're done here. Isn't that right?" she asked, looking down to her side.

Basil paused a few seconds, before nodding. "Yes," he added, staring back at the kangaroo. "We'll meet again."

He nodded and then smiled. "Yeah, sure. Maybe after the next round of savages hit our city."

…

"Tell me," he said, smirking at Basil. The mouse paused, looking back at him. "How long until you send me to trial, how long until all this is sorted. How long for those mammals to make their new batch, and the batch after that, and the batch after that, and the batch after that…"

…

"Or, we could settle it today, and I can be on my way."

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Two hours later the interview room door finally opened, an angry cheetah walking out. The mouse on her shoulder spent half the time trying to hold onto her, the other half trying to calm her down. "Listen! I know it's not quite what you had in mind, and I know you take justice seriously…"

"He's going free," she muttered.

"He's getting a very long suspended sentence."

"He's going free…"

"With some quite severe requirements. It's practically house arrest for the next decade…"

"Is he going to jail?" she asked rhetorically, her voice harsh as she stared down at Basil.

"I… -Well, certainly, if he messes any of those rules up, he will be."

"So, no then," she snapped, harshly. "A member of a howler stealing, police attacking, anarchist murder cult… And Zootopian justice lets him walk."

"If… If it makes you feel better, he was actively scamming them from the inside," Basil offered weakly.

"It doesn't," she groaned, as she returned to his office. Dave Dawson was already there, working on his computer as Catano put down the other mouse with a distinct lack of feline grace. She stepped back a bit, before pinching the bridge of her nose and letting out a calming breath. "Those mammals prey on the weak, they helped put this city through hell, helped put me and my family through hell again and what do we get to do back to them? We just set them free…"

"We set him free," Basil said, breathing in. He stood up, finding his voice, and spoke out. "One out of a hundred goes free, Catano. One out of a hundred, and maybe we do sacrifice a bit of justice, but we do it for an even greater cause. The truth! The truth as to who's behind this, who this mysterious benefactor is and, thanks to sacrificing a bit of justice, we found another vital link in the chain!"

Catano looked at them, suddenly looking too tired to argue. "Yep," she shrugged. "We found that Kazar's boys dropped little baggies off in certain locations, in the middle of a jam cam desert, which mammals from a different organisation then picked up, moving them to a different drop location, where another mammal would pick them up… A mammal who our guy then lost on the metro. All we got from that was a set of non-descript photographs. -If you can follow that chain, then fair enough." She paused, before shrugging. "Still, I suppose it's something, given that the 'Petey' search only found us a mad Honey Badger. Anyway… good luck, I guess." And, with that, she dismissed herself and left.

Basil was left alone, holding himself tall and resolute, not that it was lasting long. He slumped down a bit, disappointment filling him, though it was allayed a bit as a set of paws touched his shoulder. "There, there," Dave said, as he guided his husband back to a waiting seat. "She'd just a bit emotional, that's all…" Basil's tail touched down, as Dave came in and gave him a little peck on the cheek.

…

"Oh my, that isn't working. This must be a most serious one then. Righty-oh!" and, with that, the larger mouse pulled the thinner one into a tight bear hug.

"HHHYYYUUUCCCKKKKK…. KAAAAA….. KHAAAAA…. KAAANNN'TTT BREEEAAAA…."

Dave let him go and brushed himself down, watching as Basil took a few pants in. "Feeling better?"

"I'm feeling… quite distracted… from the matter at paw…" he said, before flopping down again. "So, thanks, I guess."

"Oh, it's always a pleasure," Basil dismissed, cosying up next to him. "Now, let's see the fruits of our labour." He turned over to his miniature screen and typed in, loading up the pictures that had been forwarded to them. His computer monitor was a repurposed smart phone touch screen, big enough for him to lie on if he wanted, so he used his paws to easily skim through it all.

The snapshots showed a whole mix of mammals: pred and prey, young and old, fat and thin and everything in-between. "Hmmm," Dave said, as he looked through. "Could that be a missing member of Dawn's cabal?"

"Or it could just be an ordinary sheep," Basil noted. "I can't make out any facial features, or anything else with those baggy clothes."

"Sadly, neither can I. Though it is a smaller sheep, white and no horns, just like her," Dave noted, before cycling on. Another mammal, brown furred and species unclear, pictured far off and looking back at them suspiciously, not that they could get a good facial recognition on him. It didn't help that he was surrounded by brown bricked buildings, the unfocussed camera almost merging him in.

The next one was obviously taken when said mammal had taken off, the kangaroo hopping after him. As a result, they only got a brown wiry tail and a foot paw.

"I say, our marsupial friend was not the best photographer," Dave muttered, as he cycled on and paused. "Why, you poor kit."

Basil nodded, looking on and spotting a very wiry looking wolf cub in the picture. "He looks tiny," he commented, pausing as he saw noticed his old clothes and the slightly feral look in his eyes. "And quite hard done by."

"Certainly," Dave nodded. "These mammals likely don't even know what they're doing. They're just middle-mammals. And the poor and kits at that, what kind of mammal would do such a thing?"

…

"Basil, dear?" the thicker mouse asked, the concern growing in his voice.

"You know exactly who," the thinner mouse replied, darkly. "We know exactly who.

Dave looked at him for a second or two before sighing. "Given that interview and Hopps' finding, it's… -it's a small possibility, certainly."

"It would be right up his alley, and I bet he's enjoying himself right now, running circles around us," Basil replied, as he walked over to his own computer. He quickly loaded it up, starting to search through his documents. "The thing is, I know how he operates and how he works, so I took the liberty of doing some side-research."

"Side research?" Dave asked.

Basil looked back and nodded. "I don't believe in coincidences," he said. "I have a suspicion, which I was able to get Catano to look at a while ago. Now, come here and look at this."

Dave did so, and looked on as Basil explained his reasoning and began looking through the documents they had.

It didn't take long for them to back off, looking at each other with worried looks.

"It all lines up," Basil said.

Dave nodded. "Indeed, it does… Too many coincidences. There's only one thing for it. We tell the chief."

"That we do," Basil announced, and off they went.

.

.

.

.

"I hear you have a suspect?" Bogo asked as he settled down at his desk. He looked at the two mice in front of him, his expression unreadable.

"We do," Basil announced. "I'm afraid that I have a hypothesis as to who Kazar's mystery sponsor was."

"Why would you be afraid," the Chief asked. "If you have a theory, we can check it out, interviewing this mammal as a suspect."

"Well, that's the trouble," Dave said, fumbling a little. "This is not a mammal that we could interview, or hold accountable…"

"Why?" Bogo snorted. "Diplomatic immunity? -Who even are we talking about here?"

There was a pregnant pause, the two mice looking at each other before Basil stepped forwards. "The mammal in question is one of the most vicious and unscrupulous mammals that I have ever had the displeasure of encountering. For much of my professional life, he has been my bane and my nemesis, and I am, or _was_, continually appalled by each increasing act of villainy, despite promising myself that this time I would be ready for it. Indeed, part of his villainy is why you haven't heard of him, given that Interpol feared his crimes were so dreadful that it was better to censor them so as to protect the public."

Bogo held up a hoof. "Before I became Chief," he said slowly, "I was aware of at least one classified case like that, one that I was never involved in so I never knew the details. All I know is that Interpol's Director, Inspector Barkley himself, came over to help. That badger classified it as one of their 'Fiendish Files'."

"An apt moniker, and I shouldn't be surprised if it was our case," Dave noted, as Basil carried on.

"We previously stopped him from acts of kitnapping, fraudulent impersonations of others and multiple attempts at murder, not limited to literal regicide."

"Regicide?"

"If you don't believe us, we can call King Iorek Byrnison of Svalbard and he can tell you how we saved him. Sadly, there are likely tens, if not hundreds, of murders that I have likely failed to stop him at. Over a decade ago he went silent, vanishing off the face of the earth. After all this time I thought he was gone, but clues that have been cropping up since Kazar's fall suggest that he may be back, hiding in the shadows and pulling the strings. We are talking about a relentless and truly despicable international criminal here, Chief Bogo. I believe that these events are all being driven by the return of Professor Padriach Rattigan!"

Both mice shivered at the name, acting as if a dreadful flash of lightning and thunderclap had ripped through the room. Bogo, meanwhile, looked down at them, his mouth twisting up to the side a little. "Rattigan?" He pondered. "I've heard that name a few times before, but mostly by mammals talking about him like he's some monster under the bed. I thought that he was a children's story or something."

"Then you should count yourself lucky," Basil said.

Dave nodded, before stepping forwards, solemnly taking his glasses off. Bringing out a bit of cloth, he cleaned them to calm himself down a little, speaking as he did so. "Kazar's testimony suggests a dangerous, egomaniacal mammal in charge, and one who can inspire many to his side. Rattigan, during his times in Little Rodentia and beyond, had many under his sway. Larger mammals would walk past our little district, completely oblivious to the goings on in there. Functionally it was formerly a very separate place, politically at least. Combined with the classified nature, I'm not surprised if all you heard was heresy."

Bogo nodded slightly, listening on as Basil took over. "But when I heard Kazar's speech…. On that day I received a grim reminder of that old fiend, and the dark and despicable entourage that followed him. The most infamous was his lover, Felicity Pawker; a Pallas cat who acted as his head torturer, executioner and evidence disposer, all rooted in her status as a notorious cannibal." He gulped a little, shaking his head. "Many missing mice or rodents may have met their end in her kitchen, either given mercy before then or being alive for the whole process. I remember her once swallowing a live shrew whole…"

Bogo coughed a few times, his eyes widening.

"-But, more relevant to this case!" Basil announced. "-Was his dogsbody, a strange individual by the name of 'Fidget', an insectivorous bat. The very same bat, if I'm right, who Hopps saw on the jam cams stealing the night howlers!"

"We last encountered them over ten years ago," Basil explained. "We'd been following a report of him taking an airship cruise, touring the North Purrcific Ring of Fire along the Cascades, the Aleutians, and the Kamchatkan volcanic range. We tried to intercept him during the return stopover at Pawaii. We caught a glimpse of him but he eluded us at Howlulu. Not long after we tracked down his main lab only to find him gone. Bar some potential travel leads and such, there was nothing… He'd vanished! Over time, we became complacent and assumed he'd gone, though it seems that we may be terribly, terribly wrong."

…

Silence filled the room, the two mice looking up at the Chief. He remained silent, looking between them, before sinking down, his head resting in his hooves. "A cannibal…" he muttered.

"An infamous one," Basil stated, only to break off as Bogo chuckled a little.

"-An infamous cannibal," he said, his words cutting deep as he looked up. "Who, oddly enough, I haven't heard of." He opened up his computer and began typing in. "Now, the mythical Rattigan being someone who's overblown reputation preceded him I can understand. In a way, I can almost understand why Interpol classified the case. But still, you're telling me that, in my city, we've had a horrific rodent eating mass murderer who's operated for the last few decades, yet no legal action has been taken?"

"Most of the time, people who knew them were either on his side or didn't live to tell the tale," Basil stated, crossing his arms.

"Except you." Bogo noted, before looking down at his computer. "And no non-classified records of her, not even a parking ticket. How interesting."

Basil blinked a few times, before marching forwards. "Are you saying I'm lying?"

"I'm saying that I'm finding this very hard to believe," Bogo interrupted, looking down at his computer. "There are few vague references to a Rattigan in here, though in most cases it could be brushed off as a bad mammal using his name. I'll request access to the Interpol files, but even if he does exist I want something solid. If you want me to believe you, if you want me to believe that there's a rat supervillain in my city with a mass murdering cannibal at his side, then you better explain why he's got about as much on his as the Boogeymammal."

Dave stepped forwards. "Because he's not like a large mammal or a normal criminal; rodentcrime operates under a different set rules to regular crime. These mammals have no fixed abode, no records, most mammals don't even know that they exist. They can operate in the darkest shadows, moving from place to place and sneaking about under larger mammals' noses! Because they are small, and that's their strength. And, using it, they cause great tyranny and evil!"

"Really," Bogo scoffed. "Surely I'd have heard of it. Surely, we'd have heard of all the murders that you say took place, regardless of how hard those super-cops try and airbrush it out. In any case, I still have a hard time believing that a rodent, a rat I guess, was behind it all. This crime king of your little mouse town."

"Yes, _our_ little mouse town," Basil said, marching up to Bogo. "A separate part of the city that most mammals don't think about, because it's full of little mice getting on with their lives happily. They think of it as a little place where not much goes on, whereas in fact it's one of the most populous districts of the city. When mammals think of criminals, they think of big mammals or medium ones with guns, not mice. Sure, you have a few robberies and murders in there, but if they hear that there's some mysterious tyrant in there then they think it's a joke. I'm not blaming you, Rattigan lived in and cultivated his infamy and the disbelief it caused. His body count was terrible, but simultaneously drowned out given the overall size of the rodent community. It didn't help that he had much of the local press paid off and bad things happened to those who tried to speak."

"And yet you fought him," Bogo said. "You defeated him, and lived, and here you are, finally talking about him years after he went. Why now? Why now, and not then…"

Dave sighed. "We did, a few times. I'm getting some strong Deja-vu to those situations right now."

"Quite elementary really," Basil added. "Because of the inaction and disbelief by some in the ZPD, we felt it best to handle it ourselves at first. This was all part of his plan you see, his refuge in audacity. To most mammals, it doesn't make any sense. After all, what harm can rats or mice really do? Well, because mammals think that, they don't see what the powerful could do in there, or out of there. His crimes inside the District were just the tip of his criminal iceberg. Surely you at least know that the vast majority of fraud and white-collar crime is done by smaller mammals, especially rodents."

Bogo paused and nodded. "I will give you that."

"That's because there are more rodents sized holes, tunnels and gaps in this city, in every city, than you can count! If I looked close enough, I could probably find a hole in this building and work myself over to Tundratown before emerging again. And, it's in places like these that Rattigan and his crew, scrubbed from the records and drifting by themselves, could fester! Could plot, and scheme, and do their wicked ways. Mice didn't get murdered, Bogo, they went missing, and were never found again. The murder rate back in Little Rodentia back then might be low, but look at the missing mammal's rate!"

The cape buffalo did some more searching and the mice looked on. The Chief scanned through the records, only for his eyes to widen, and he slid back from the computer, his face even paler than before. "Maybe I had the wrong ideas about you," he noted quietly. "What I just saw there was certainly shocking, though the significant fall, which oddly enough coincided with you two starting out, at least gives me hope. Excuse me for a moment."

The pair of mice looked on as he stood up and opened up a small locked drawer, pulling out a brandy decanter. Her poured a glass and took a healthy gulp of it, before settling himself back down. He then looked up, darkly. "There's no smoke without a fire, and what I just saw left me choking there. I knew that the lack of police presence in Little Rodentia was bad in those days, but not… -Why didn't we know back then? Why didn't I know?"

"Because mice like us were scared," Dave said solemnly, "and mammals like you thought the best of us."

"In any case, recording equipment and such was dreadfully hard to come by in rodent sizes back then," Basil explained. "He could get it, but the average mammal couldn't. He ruled by fear, and had the town's papers and reporters paid off. And, as I said before, Little Rodentia was just a fraction of his crime empire. Most of his criminal enterprises were done by full on large mammal gangs."

"Then why didn't I hear of those?" Bogo asked. "If they commanded larger mammals like Mr Big did, then why was that shrew infamous and your rat unknown?!"

"Because Mr Big enjoyed being the public face of everything. Rattigan's modus operandi is different." Basil paused, thinking for a second. "Not long before he vanished, we were following him in England and, while there, there was a terrible scare!"

Dave nodded, clearing his throat. "The linchpin of the country's rail network is controlled via a key signal box at Bullingham Gnu Street Station and on that day it was attacked and occupied by a local equine gang known as the Peaky Blinkers. No-one knows why but, before the police could react, they were all distracted by something much larger. All trains across the region had been halted, including a small three car freight train. One engine at the front, one at the back, and in the centre there was a single truck, carrying a large yellow box."

"Now, why the panic over that box?" Basil continued. "Elementary. That yellow box was a nuclear flask, transporting the last of the fuel from the recently decommissioned magnox reactors at Donkeyness to the reprocessing centre up north. There were reports of gangs attacking it, naturally getting a massive police response, but by the time they got there the perpetrators were gone. The same just so happened to be true for a massive quantity of cash being transported on a separate train in the local area, the real target! I interviewed the leader of the Blinkers not long after. He and his family didn't want to do that, but they had no choice. Rattigan had completely blackmailed them into performing his criminal masterwork! Now you see how he works, now you see why he's invisible. He blackmails and conspires, putting others in the limelight while he's back in the shadows. And now he's doing just that. He's returned back to our city, staying out of sight, but we're out here starting to see the shadows of his plans rippling in the light!"

"I…" Bogo began, before shaking his head. "This is all too much..."

"Ah, no Chief. It's quite eleme…"

"-If you finish that word, you're on two months parking duty," Bogo interrupted. "Believe me, I can find a way."

There was a pause, the mice staying silent as he rubbed his temples.

"You talk of this rat blackmailing other, much larger, mammals into doing his bidding," he began wearily. "Why don't they rebel? Why can't one of them just walk up and give him a whack with a bat? I mean even a fennec could off him, probably quite gruesomely. I'm not going to lie, from the sound of it there may well have been some terrible crime lord like this in the past, in Little Rodentia." He paused, his eyes staring at his laptop for a second or two before he reached for his glass, taking another large drink. "We may have failed an enormous number of innocent lives. If you believe and have evidence that this rat exists, that he's present, you can come to me and present it and I'll believe it. But right now, you're suggesting that, on the sole basis of an unidentified bat being involved, this mythical mammal has returned to Zootopia, that's he's operating, and that he was pulling the strings for Kazar of all mammals? One who openly scoffed at weaker mammals? One who could have ground your rat under his hoof? I've seen a lot in my time on the force, don't get me wrong. But this just feels too far out of there. If your rat worked by ticking off larger mammals, he could easily be a pancake right now. Big only avoided that fate by being an excellent, -or, given recent events, appearing to be an excellent business mammal and paying well."

"Rattigan helped Kazar by working out how to distil the howlers," Basil pointed out, "and he supplied them."

"Rattigan could blackmail, he was also a genius and a diplomat," Dave added. "He knew that sometimes you needed fear and sometimes loyalty."

Bogo paused, shaking his head. "Yes okay… But now Kazar is gone, so what now? It's not as if this Rattigan can get a new army, is it?"

Basil walked forwards grimly. "If my theory is correct, and I sincerely hope it isn't, he should be halfway there already."

Bogo groaned. "This should be good."

"Don't you think it's odd that Mr Big fell right now?" Basil asked. "I talked to him and he claimed that he kept his taxes in order. In fact, he's not being charged with tax evasion by the ZRCS anymore, though given the murder charges that isn't much comfort. It was hard getting in contact with him, but apparently his own ledgers aren't showing the discrepancy. I even had Catano ask the tax firm he used and do you know what? The incriminating document doesn't line up with the company's ones."

"You can check it yourself," Dave added. "We bored right into their deep data files and found nothing saved there. Instead, one worker claims she received the email from her boss, which we know he didn't actually send, and after finding the issue chose to report it."

"Now, why would all this happen," Basil asked. "Why? Well, it's elementary. Someone who didn't like Big, working in the limo service or tax firm, sent or hacked in that dodgy document which allowed the first investigation. It wouldn't go anywhere by itself, but it wasn't meant to! It just cracked the hard shell and let the investigators see the first few dodgy areas. The ZPD could then pull the thread until Big's whole empire unravelled! And what happens when Big is deposed? What happens to his polar bears? What happens to the rest of his operation? I'll tell you, Rattigan takes over! They don't even know he dispatched their old boss, but he takes over like before. He likely set this up to hedge his bets in case Kazar proved unstable or was captured! _That_ is how dangerous he is!"

There was a silence for a second or two, before the cape buffalo shook his head. "I had an interesting talk recently with the ZPD's resident therapist. He's a nice mammal, and he happens to have a colleague at the Central Mental Hospitall. He talked about how she had a patient who believed that the whole world was run by evil sheep, and had built an entire worldview around it. Every new bit of evidence or new development that she found, she viewed through this lens, working out how it fitted into her grand 'Cudspiracy'. 'Cognitive dissonance,' they call it; everything, even if it might pull away from that theory, was thus turned into a bit of evidence that made the whole thing stronger and stronger, harder to refute. That only made this patient look harder and leap further when incorporating more news in the future. What I've seen here is firm evidence that dangerous stuff was going on in Little Rodentia, stuff that you, no doubt heroically, helped to stop. I'm not denying the existence of your Rattigan, or his crew, even if they're not on any currently unclassified record, but I am questioning what you're suggesting now. Because it seems pretty crazy to me that this rat, who could easily be dispatched by any of the mammals he's slighted, is out in Zootopia. That he's behind the recent howler scare, that he's Kazar's mammal, that he toppled Big and so forth. After all, what do you have? A hunch? A feeling? All based on a mad-mammal's ramblings and a blurry picture of a bat? I need more than that, far more. Dismissed."

The two mice paused, looking at each other, before Basil stepped forwards. "But Chief…"

"-If you truly believe that this Rattigan mammal is up to this, and can find the evidence to prove it, then I will believe you. I advise you make good use of the time I'm providing you with."

"If you knew him, you'd be scared," Basil warned.

"If I knew him, I'd probably do what any mammal would do and take him down," Bogo stated. "After all, he may be a rodent crime lord, but there's nothing he can do against me."

"You'd think that, but he'd find a way to blackmail you."

Bogo snorted. "The day a rodent blackmails me is even less likely than a day when Wilde isn't irritating."

Basil blinked a few times, before whispering to Dave. "I didn't know he was that much of a sceptic."

"-I heard that," the Chief replied. "Maybe when I am blackmailed by a rodent, I'll let you go off chasing this rat around the world on the flimsiest of evidence. Until then, we follow things with firm evidence behind them. Understood?"

"Yes sir," the mice replied.

"Then you're dismissed. Again."

They nodded and left, both in a rather depressed mood.

.

.

.

…

"What if he's right."

"Pardon, dear?"

"What if he's right," Basil said again. The pair had found a hidden little alcove near the showers in which to settle down and process everything, something that wasn't going very well. "I mean, what if I am seeing Rattigan in everything? Everywhere."

"Well, given our past experience with him, wouldn't that be quite natural? We know what he can do."

"Yes, we do," Basil said out loud. "And we thought, or to be honest I thought, the same thing when the missing mammal case and the nighthowler scare came around. We started prepping, looking around, and trying to figure out if our evil rat had returned. But no, it turned out to be the mayor! -And then the next one!"

"Lots of people were fooled, it wasn't that bad."

"Wasn't that bad?"

"Well, for you more than I. After all, I was the one who voted for them!"

"Tchhh, waste of time, voting," Basil mumbled.

"As you oft repeat."

"You're missing the point here Dave, I'm pretty useless as a detective if every unknown is met with the fear that it's you know who!"

"Yes, particularly seeing as we know Voldemort's quite deceased."

…

Basil gave his husband a slight look out of the corner of his eye, a single chuckle escaped his mouth. He then relaxed a bit, before sighing. "In all seriousness, is my obsession with him limiting me, as a detective?"

"I wouldn't say that…"

"But what if it is?" he repeated, biting his lip slightly and looking away as he did so. "What if it is. My duty is to search for the truth, to find it in the tightest corners and pull it out of the smallest and deepest holes. It's a singular thing that I strive towards, that I always strive towards, aiming to uncover it whatever the cost… But while I'm certain that I can decipher and follow any and every clue, what if my own biases mislead me? What if that memory of the rat is always harming me…? I don't know where he is, Dave; he just up and vanished all those years ago. But maybe he planned it that way, his final victory. Because he may be free of me, but I will never, ever, be free of him."

"In my time as a detective, do you know what I've come to realise?" Dave asked. "I've to come realise that, often or not, the most important trait is self-doubt. You have to be able to realise you were wrong, and turn around on a moment's notice. All those times you feared him, you were able to do something different as soon as you found something harder and firmer to hold on to. So, tell me, is there anything like that for this case?"

"No, not that I can think of," Basil replied.

"Then, for now, I don't think you're a fool for fearing him. You might be feeling a fool now, but I'm quite certain that the case where you bar yourself from looking for him will naturally be the one where he returns."

"Oh, quite certainly."

"Most naturally indeed," Dave replied.

"So, now what?"

"Well, what do you think?"

"Well, I think that we redouble our efforts. Triple them! Find every little tit-bit we can, whether it's evidence of him or not!"

"And if it isn't, we pursue that new truth!"

"And if it is…" Basil continued, before pausing. "If it is, what then? I mean, it's not like he's well known, though given the terrible things he did I feel that's a good thing in a way. But Bogo doesn't know what he's dealing with, not even getting back in contact with the old Chief or the head of Interpol might be able to help with that. He doesn't even consider rodent criminals much of a threat."

"Well, we'll have to, shall we say, burn that bridge when we get to it."

Basil nodded grimly, and the pair stood up ready to leave, only to pause as they heard a slight commotion coming their way.

"_-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, but it's too late now…" _Nick Wilde.

"_Come on _Slick_, you can stop joking." _And Judy.

"I'm not joking. I've got the ball and chain, I'm hitched, I am now a married fox!"

"Hah-Hah…"

"I'm surprised you're taking this so well. Though maybe it's because you acknowledge what a fabulous lady Rebecca, or should I say Mrs Wilde, is now."

"Wouldn't it be Mrs Oshiro," she pointed out, as they both came into the view of the mice. Judy looked perfectly ordinary, dressed up in her usual police issue gear. Nick meanwhile had a bath towel wrapped around him, while the front of his face was completely white.

"Oh goodness," Dave remarked, the bunny and fox pausing to look at them.

"If I'm not mistaken," Basil began, "I smell a distinct odour similar to that of certain kinds of chalk in the air, suggesting that it's either that calcium carbonate mineral or talcum. Given the recent lull in activity, it's not too unreasonable that you were put back on one of your cub abuse cases, in doing do ending up with baby powder on your face as we see here."

"Yup," Nick noted. "Fitted in another, _interesting_, investigation."

"Take down any bad mammals again?" Dave asked.

Nick shook his head. "Turns out that that place, or rather one of the nurses, turns out to be an excellent embodiment of Hanlon's Razor."

"Ah, I see," Dave replied. "That explains the…" he began, before gesturing at his face.

"Yup. I didn't even know it was that hard to mess up a diaper change."

Basil blinked. "But I thought your cover didn't…"

Nick cleared his throat, interrupting him. "What did I say the sentence before last?"

"Ah, I see," he noted, Nick giving a strong nod in response. The mice detectives looked at each other, before Basil suddenly had an idea. "Say, a quick question…"

"-No, I am not."

"Actually, it's about the Chief. You two have had much more experience with him, so you might be able to help us. How can we convince him of something that he stubbornly doesn't believe?"

The bunny and fox looked at each other nervously. "He tends to ignore words," Judy began, "but if you give him firm evidence, he'll accept it."

Nick nodded. "Yup. And of course, if some stubborn big mammal has given you a way of eating his own words you should always make them eat them. I can also attest to large scale complex practical demonstrations also working very well."

"Don't give them bad ideas," Judy half-heartedly scolded. "Now go on, get showered up."

"Hey, you're not my wife," he jibed, the bunny rolling his eyes. He then turned to the mouse and smirked. "While there, a rather cute painted dog cub decided she loved me and wanted to marry me, proposing with a playdoh ring. I'm afraid I couldn't say no."

"Come on," Judy said, rolling her eyes as she began to push him in.

"-If it's any consolation, I was trying to sign the heck out of it."

"Keep moving."

"You're just jealous because she had the bigger bum."

"That was probably helped by her diaper…"

"Excuses excuses…"

…

The bunny and fox duo left the two mice, who looked at each other. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Basil asked.

"I'm thinking that if we want to use that old disguise again, we need more white fur dye."

"No, no, no…" he said. "Didn't Bogo say that '_maybe when I am blackmailed, I'll let you go off chasing this rat around the world on the flimsiest of evidence.'_"

"Yes he did, and I think I know where you're going with this."

"And I think you're onboard with it."

"And I think I am."


	36. Size Matters 2

**Chapter 2:**

.

"Now, do you think we could use some disguises for this?"

"We're sneaking around and spying, not doing undercover work, Davey boy, the idea is that we aren't seen," Basil replied. They'd slipped into a tiny rodent sized lift and were making their way up to the top of the building. "In any case, which disguise were you thinking of?"

"Well, I had it in my mind to use the pair that we used in that incident at that chicken farm," Dave replied. There was a ping and a rattle as they reached the top floor, one which happened to be above Bogo's office. Up here there were spare cubicles and open office spaces, though the main use was for storage. The duo scurried forth, weaving through the large cardboard boxes, pressing their backs up to them as they caught their breath.

Basil panted a few times, before looking at Dave, the more rotund mouse suffering much more from the exertion. "The chicken farm?"

"Yes," he replied, taking a breath in. "You know, the one where Rattigan used that experimental sentience inducing gene therapy serum he'd discovered somehow. He wanted to convince the world that non-sentient animals could naturally become sentient, hoping to destroy the predator food supply and take over with his fungus based substitutes. You remember that one?"

"I remember that you played the 'smart' mouse in that one."

"Oh, you had your moments too. We both enjoyed those characters, didn't we?" Dave replied, as Basil sneaked around a corner and gave a peek.

"But you still want to be the clever one, don't…" he began, before his eyes widened. He grabbed Dave and pulled him back into a small corner as a hyena girl stepped out of the shadows.

…

"I don't think she heard us," he whispered, leaning to look out again. He jolted back though as a gust of wind blasted past, something huge sweeping across the floor. It raked past again, then forwards once more, kicking dust into the mice's face. The boxes around them shook, and Basil leapt to hold onto Dave, closing his eyes until it ending.

Carefully, the pair leant out again, and spotted the janitor hyena carry on her vacuuming in the other direction, bopping and dancing to the music from her headphones as she went.

"Well," Dave noted, "I am the most composed one."

Basil scowled, before racing forwards, waving his husband on. They dove down onto all fours, cutting right and then left, until reaching another safe space. "Honestly, where the hell did Rattigan _get_ that serum anyhow? His temporary lab showed him trying to work out _what _it was and failing at it."

"Well, I always presumed it was some mad Soeviet creation or what not," Dave noted. "After all, it was in that lab where we found the poster for his final airship cruise. Announcing that for the first time they'd be allowed to visit that giant lava lake in Kamchatka."

"Maybe Rattigan was moving on to volcano-based villainy, I wouldn't put it past him," Basil said, as he began creeping around. He paused as he noticed a long shelf above him, running along the entire wall, buried behind all the boxes. "Up there," he noted, Dave looking significantly less keen.

"If you insist," he said wearily, as they made their way to a dog-eared corner of a cardboard box and began climbing up it. Whether fit or not, the laws of biology made this task a particularly easy one for them both, and they were soon racing along the shelf. "As for the volcano stuff, don't give me nightmares, please," Dave noted, racing after Basil. "I mean, that place was originally closed off to the world for decades due to some classified research into tapping it for power generation experiments or laser weapons or something. Maybe he thought that some clue to his serum would be in one of those labs, but from the reports only fragments were left. The authorities had cleaned it all up."

"And maybe he was able to find some clue there?" Basil replied. "I mean, the last we saw of him, he was going to the other end of the old Union, or at least we think so. -Though worryingly there are volcanoes in that part of Russia too… Regardless, he went silent after that. Maybe he had an accident, or got a dose of that serum himself… I would be eternally satisfied if he ended up being done in by his own hubris."

"Maybe using it on a clever mammal makes them dim," Dave joked, as the pair made it to the end. In front of them was a small space left open, giving access to a trio of doors.

"Now," Basil began pondering, "if I'm right, then the behind the centre door is a storage cupboard, and behind that we can access the main electric riser."

"Right then," Dave agreed, pausing as he saw Basil jump off the ledge and fall to the ground. Due to his size, they would both be perfectly safe, despite the fall being many times their height. Still, he couldn't help but be a bit nervous. He closed his eyes and leapt, bracing for impact and landing on the floor in an ungraceful roll. He stood up, brushed himself off, and then took after Basil. The pair quickly slipped under the door, making their way to a plug socket at the back. Eyeing it up, Basil took a special tool off of his back. There was one small bit of metal, with a flat head and cross head on either end, the latter of which he pushed into one of the plug's screws. A magnet held it in place as they both got out two long bits of metal, slotting them into holes on the rod's sides. Stepping out to the long ends and putting their backs into it, they jolted as the screw broke loose. Together, they then repositioned their handles and easily turned it a bit more, then repeating the process again and again. Slowly, quietly and effectively, they began breaking the socket loose.

"Maybe it does make them dim," Basil pondered, as they took out screw after screw. "I mean, maybe that was why those chicken farmers were so stupid. Their egg hens were telling them that they were alive and sentient, but did they believe it? Nope! In fact, they promptly chose to go from egg farming to meat!"

"Don't I remember," Dave huffed.

"They got in a whole chicken pie machine."

"Yes, well, apologies in advance for the pun," Dave began. "But that henpecked husband did sort of realise stuff was up."

"Yes, I remember," Basil said, as they moved onto the final screw. "'_Them chickens are organised!'_ By the end of it, he must have been at his wits end, especially given the damage a _certain_ pair of rodents ended up causing."

"Well, not like we didn't help his mental state," Dave chuckled. "Remember when we absconded with his tools, so the chickens could work on their flying machine?"

"Oh, of course I do," Basil chuckled. "A disguise on top of a disguise, and he believed it poor fellow."

"'_Ooooh, gnomes now!'_"

"Ah, good times, good times," Dave chuckled, as they finally got the socket open. In they crawled, finding themselves in a long, tall and narrow space. Either side of them were steel frames holding up the plasterboard, the insulated sides showing themselves. To Dave's right, he noticed the electrical wires shoot upwards, and he noted glumly that this, like most buildings, carried their wiring in a suspended ceiling. "Well, I'm not going up."

"Neither am I," Basil replied, as he waved Dave on. "You see, this being an expensive public building, they likely know that mice incursions are a risk! That means the risers will be filled with motion and heat sensors, designed to stop exactly this."

"Ah, then. So, how do we get down?"

"Using the risers."

"You just skipped a page."

"No," Basil replied, looking back at his mate with a cunning look in his eyes. He paused next to a bit of insulation, pulling it apart to reveal some plasterboard. "You have the item?"

"I presume you mean this little number," Dave said, bringing out a miniature buzzsaw. It was actually two ones, the blades designed to spin in the opposite direction so as to not throw off the small users. Taking it out, alongside a battery he'd had strapped to his back, the larger mouse set it up and began work, quickly grinding a small hole in the plasterboard. Letting the bit of debris fall off, Dave blinked a few times as he saw a plastic pipe in front of him. "This is the moment when you act all smart and explain your cunning plan, isn't it?"

"Let me explain my cunning plan, I think you'll find that it's all quite elementary," Basil said, coming forward. "They put sensors in the risers, but not in the pipes that go through the risers. Now, on the bottom two floors there are bathroom blocks, and pipes go down from them and into the down pipe in this riser. However, with each flush, you draw air in which could cause vacuums and all sorts. As a result, every down pipe has a vent at roof level to stop a vacuum forming. This is that vent. We don't have to worry about waste coming down from on top off us, unless we go too far down and below the first connection to the toilets. Once we cut in, we can rappel down to the right level, cut out again, and sneak over until we're above the Chief's office!"

"What about the smell?"

"I…" Basil began, before pausing. "We'll just have to bear it, I guess."

Dave looked away, before clicking his fingers. Tearing two small chunks out of the foam insulation, he packed them up his nose.

"AH!" Basil announced, doing exactly the same, which inevitably made his voice go squeaky. "_Elementary!"_

…

A short abseil later, the two of them cut through both pipe and plasterboard, emerging out into a black expanse, pipes and wires running everywhere. Fixing headlamps, the two set off, slowly crawling along the top of suspended ceiling.

"This should be along the corridor," Basil whispered, as he followed the path of a massive cable tray. Every now and again they'd have to duck under a branch or under a thin ventilation shaft. They made their way through a forest of hanging supports, shivered and sweltered as they passed heating and cooling pipes, and had to hold still as they thought they heard a spider off in the distance.

Basil's eyes narrowed, and he brought out a small blade, long since broken off a swiss army knife, and began cutting through a mass of cobwebs. He closed his eyes here and there, to try and judge where they were. "If I'm right," he said, "given the length of our walk and the compromising factor due to our less than ideal path, we should be halfway there."

"Actually, we just passed it."

Basil looked back, spotting Dave lying on his front next to the top of a light unit. There were gaps in the casing, allowing him to peak through. "Excellent," the thinner mouse said, as he raced over. Thankfully, the Chief's Office was separated by another partition wall, and there was a slight gap in the section that extended above the ceiling.

The mice slipped through, being extra quiet as they snuck up next to another lighting unit. Eyes peeled, ears at the ready, they peeked through. They both knew that they could be in for a long wait, and might not even get anything credible to use against him.

In a way, they both knew that they were in for a long, tiring, and potentially fruitless stakeout.

.

…

"WOW! YOU ARE ONE GREAT DANCER _CHIEF BO-GO._"

.

On the other paw…

They watched with wide eyes as the Chief danced to the app, which was decidedly _so _four years ago, yet still entranced him. Basil looked to Dave, the mouse holding out a very expensive miniature sound recorder, getting every second of it.

For the great mouse detective, that wasn't quite enough. He gestured to his mate and brought out a far more expensive mouse sized video recorder. He waved along, the two scurrying so that they were behind him, right next to another light unit. Bringing out a rope and winch system, Basil fixed his line and slowly lowered himself down.

He held his breath, fully expecting it to be a high stake, high tension, milliseconds away from being spotted affair.

Thankfully, Bogo was so enraptured that Basil got a full minute of footage before getting away scot free. The pair raced back the way they came, making sure to seal the holes in the soil vent pipe they made, lest they let a noxious and incriminating smell out. All the way up again, out into the storage room, and Basil couldn't help but give the same chuckle he'd perfect on that chicken farm mission years ago.

"Now," Dave replied, adopting the same mannerisms and voice from his character back then. "How do you suppose we exploit with this little bit of information, Fetcher?"

"I don't think you gets eggs from this one, Nick," Basil replied, sounding unconvinced.

"No you don't, but suppose you do. You can have one egg now, or hatch it to get a chicken, and get all the eggs you can ever want!"

"What if it's a boy? I'm not stupid, I remember that from last time."

"Naaah," Dave replied, elbowing his mate. "Compromising information is all female you see."

"Why's that then."

"'Cause you can milk 'em," Dave said with a wink. They both gave a mischievous laugh, before setting off for phase 2.

.

.

The next morning, Bogo entered his office, early as usual. He had his duties to fulfil before the rest of the forces got in and not much time to do it in. To top it off, he was grumpier than usual.

"Oh, morning Chief!"

"Morning Clawhauser," he said, the jovial cheetah's mood at least helping him a bit.

"Morning Chief," came another voice, and Bogo looked up to see Catano standing next to the desk.

"Morning. You're in early today."

"I had some business in the morning," she replied, stretching a bit. "I might as well come in early."

"Right then," he replied, giving her a nod.

"-You know," Ben spoke, "I'd have just said that I wanted to get to the bottom of this case ASAP."

"I think Officer Catano is above Brownnosing," Bogo dismissed, as he walked off to the lift. He pressed the button and waited for the door to close, pausing as he noticed her race in. She stood next to him in silence for a second or two as they began to move up, before shrugging.

"-Well," she began. "I will be helping out on the case some more," she said. "But that's not the reason I was in early."

Bogo nodded, smiling slightly. "So, maybe you're not above it then."

"-Huh," she remarked, looking up to him. "This… -I was just stating the truth," she said, a little defensively. "I was here early for other reasons, but I will be using that time constructively."

"Right then," he nodded. "Though I'm not sure if it matters either way."

"Why would you say that?" she asked, cocking her head slightly.

"Because I'm not sure if this case is one where just throwing your time away will solve it," he muttered. "Hopps and Wilde poured through jam-cam footage, getting a small lead that could hardly be called that. Meanwhile, our two detectives came in at another angle and knocked out the perps. Only, now, we have new perps operating somewhere, and we don't know where."

There was a grumble from Catano. "And we keep on giving perps a free ride away from justice to find the truth, and what do we find? Dead end after dead end…"

"Not quite yet," he pointed out. "While we're here, I might as well discuss this." There was a pause as they arrived on his floor. "-We'll walk and talk. Anyway, we can try and follow that new leads. The areas the handovers were taking place in have terrible camera coverage, but we could try and identify and follow those up the chain."

"With the photos we have, I'm not that confident," Catano noted.

"Me neither, even with Wilde's incredible facial recognition on our side. That was why I was also contemplating putting you and the others in patrol in those areas, looking out for any of the mammals, adults or teens, who were being used as smugglers."

"In case they were able to follow the chain a bit further along?"

"Exactly," he huffed, scratching his head. "Or if they heard anything about the details of who the mystery partner is."

"I'd think that if they were that far in, they might fear giving the information away," Catano pointed out. "Especially if it's a younger teen."

"That's a risk I hadn't thought of. Well, much as you are loathed to disagree with it, we can give them a reprieve after threatening to go hard if they help out."

There was a long pause, before Catano spoke, suddenly sounding a bit unsure of herself. "Which part would you think I'd disagree with?"

"Well, you've been quite a vocal critic of letting mammals off the hook, haven't you?" Bogo pointed out, looking down at the smaller cheetah. He paused though as he saw her frown.

"For mammals involved in messed up stuff, yes. -And maybe, if those teens knew exactly what was in their containers, then they should definitely be held accountable. But I'm guessing they didn't know. They might have been poor and not known what they were a part of, just how bad it was. By all means give them a grilling from hell, call them out on it and maybe caution them. But I don't think a dumb but harmless teen needs the book thrown at them."

"Hmmm," the buffalo noted. "I thought you were a 'throw the book at them' mammal."

She nodded, scratching the back of her head. "I just want justice to be served," she sighed. "And then there's mammals like that kangaroo, who weave through the system to get off the hook, and then rub it in your face." She'd winced up at that, the fur on her head sticking up. Arriving at Bogo's office, the cape buffalo waved her in, continuing their conversation as he booted up his computer systems. He looked at her curiously, thinking.

"What's your opinion of Officer Wilde, then?"

Catano paused, looking at him for a second or two. "Just so we're on the same page, he only did borderline legal stuff, barring some now sorted tax issues, before he joined on?"

"That is correct."

"Good," she said, relaxing. "I mean, by all means, had I met him before I'd have given him a talking to about cleaning up."

"Even though it's not illegal?"

There's codes of conduct for life," she pointed out. "Same reason I was truthful early. Legal and honest aren't the same thing, and back then Wilde would have needed to hear the riot act on it. However, it seems Hopps already did the job, and he followed through." There was a pause as she thought. "Those teens and such, they need that kind of talking to. Tell them as it is and drag them kicking and screaming away from the bad stuff. It might be uncomfortable, they might hate it, but it needs to be done."

"Though," Bogo pointed out, "surely those mammals, teen or otherwise, who knew or had chased up the chain would likely have known what they were doing beforehand?"

Catano paused, looking at him and frowning. "Are you being a devil's advocate?"

Bogo's eyes raised slightly. "In all my years, Catano, I have yet to see an officer being so blunt in calling me out for that."

The cheetah blinked a few times, gawking. "So, you admit it?"

"Catano," he replied, "I get all sorts of fancy theories from my detectives, some which turn out to be true, but most not. I've seen multiple ones get carried away with their pet theories. As the Chief, I need to challenge their ideas, make them justify them in front of me, down to the finest detail. I'm disagreeable for the sake of being disagreeable, as that's how you whittle down to the truth." He paused slightly. "Maybe it does carry on a bit too far here and there, I'll admit that."

"Fair enough," she said. "In any case, your idea is worth a shot. Anything to get further along with this case."

"Agreed," he said. "I'm beginning to regret busting Kazar so early."

"Huh," Catano gawped. "Why? Surely that's a good thing, getting him and a chunk of the danger off the street A-S-A-P."

Bogo looked up at her, a faintest of faint smile growing on his muzzle. "I see you're not quite catching on," he said. "We took him out, yes, but there's still his associate out there. One, who for all we know, may be far more dangerous. He knows how to refine howlers, and he almost certainly has some. Despite that though, the city is taking it less seriously. Warnings have gone out, but since Kazar's defeat they've been muted. Most citizens think they're safe and the danger is gone when in truth we just don't know. In any case, had we pulled him in later, maybe we'd have been lucky and got more information on our other guy. We don't even know his name, or where he is."

Catano nodded her head. "For all we know, it could be a ZPD officer. Where better to hide, than under our noses…" She paused, thinking. "There's this show that my flatmate likes, and they had someone like that. Seemingly so far embedded in the enemy side that no one ever suspected he was a double agent. Meanwhile, he organised the resistance. All anyone knew was that his codename was 'The Owl'."

Bogo groaned. "Sounds appropriate for our mammal."

"Maybe it isn't a mammal," she said. "Maybe a sentient reptile or bird. For all we know, maybe it's an actual owl?"

Bogo nodded. "We don't know, though given how incredibly rare they are it's highly unlikely. All I know is that I'm glad Wilde isn't here to make an obvious pun."

There was a brief pause, before Catano snickered and nodded. "It was just an idea," she said. "This same show features giants and 'a devil of all the world too'. Who knows, maybe our owl is those things too?"

Bogo nodded. "We don't know, and I don't like that, but some things are far more likely than others. They're our best shot for now. Dismissed."

Catano nodded, and saw herself out.

Bogo looked at the time and groaned. That had taken a bit longer than expected, and he needed to double check his emails before coming up for the list for today's duties. He began filtering through them, his eyes narrowing at another call from the DA suggesting a heightened police presence in certain neighbourhoods (which just so happened to be predator heavy), before his phone rang. Who now, he thought, as he pulled it up.

"_CHIEF BOGO…"_

He flinched back at the odd, distorted, voice, before leaning back in. "Alright. Who is this, and you do know that wasting police time is a criminal offence?"

"WE WOULD NOT WANT TO WASTE THE TIME OF ONE GREAT DANCER SUCH AS POLICE CHIEF BOGO!"

He went silent, frozen like a deer in headlights.

"WOW… YOU ARE ONE GREAT…"

"Who are you and what do you want!" Bogo screamed back into the phone. "I'll have you know that I cannot be compromised by such simple blackmail."

"WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO BREAK THE LAW. MERELY ABIDE BY CERTAIN SIMPLE REQUESTS…"

"Or, what?" the Chief queried.

"OR WE HAVE A COMPROMISING VIDEO."

"And what will you do with it?" he said, his nostrils flaring. "Try putting it up on the internet, I can have it taken down in seconds."

"WHICH IS WHY WE'LL EMAIL IT TO ONE NICHOLAS PIBERIUS WILDE."

"Oh."

He shook his head though and huffed. "If you think I'll break some law to save myself some embarrassment, you are sorely mistaken! After all, the embarrassment of breaking the law would be far greater than any video like this. You really don't think this through, do you!"

"I THINK YOU WILL FIND OTHERWISE…."

.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, in a different office, Basil and Dave were speaking into a microphone. The former taking the lead, the other following, the delay added to the electronic distortion they were applying, keeping their identities secret for now.

"Let's play a game!" They said together. "We give you requests to do, you do them. Starting with a simple one. Individually compliment all officers today at today's rollcall."

…

"Is that you, Wilde!?"

"No!" they called out together. "Try again next time, Buffalo Butt…"

.

.

.

.

"Alright, alright!" Bogo announced, as he walked into the bullpen. He paused, looking back at Higgins, before speaking. "Crisp shirt today," he noted, sending the hippo blinking.

"Uhhh, thanks, sir."

There was a whisper from the crowd, Bogo internally gritting his teeth. He didn't know who these jokers were, but he could manage this for them, not that he liked it. "Rhinowitz, you're looking alert today, partner with Fangmeyer and continue with your regular patrols. Fangmeyer," he said, looking at the wolf of that name. "I've noticed you've been keeping good care of your fur. Keep it up."

"Uhh…" he began. "Sir, yes, sir!"

Chief Bogo then turned to the other Fangmeyer, the tigress. "Fangmeyer, that's a finely polished badge by the way; McHorn, I note your horn is in excellent shape; Johnson, your mane is looking fine today. The ZTN has reported a series of copper thefts, go to their main headquarters and they'll lead you from there. Jackson, your stripes are looking good; Wolfard, I must complement your howl last night; Grizzoli, I see those workouts have been serving you well. We've had reports of vandalism around Okavango Plaza. Investigate. Pennington, those tusks you have coming in are looking good; Delgato, you're a fine example of why your species is called the king of the jungle. Standard patrols. Snarlov, your fur is shining so bright I can't comprehend that it's technically see-through; Anderson, your performance this year is putting you in line for a promotion. Tundratown patrols. Hopps, my best bunny; Wilde, my best fox, meet up with Catano for your briefing. Any questions?"

The sound of every mammal bar one's paw going up filled the room, followed by a singular groan.

"Would you all like this to be the last time I compliment any of you?"

The sound of every paw bar one going down filled the room.

…

"-Yes, Wilde…"

The fox looked at him in complete sincerity and spoke. "I'd just like you to know sir that professional help is available."

…

"I don't know if that is snark or genuine concern, but I don't care. Dismissed."

.

.

.

Bogo groaned as his phone rang, bringing it up to his ear. "Now what?"

"THAT WAS A START. NEXT, YOU WILL GO TO THE DISPATCH DESK AND ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION WITH OFFICER BENJAMIN CLAWHAUSER ABOUT YOUR FAVOURITE MUSICIAN."

The sound of a phone hanging up and teeth grinding filled the room as he made his way over to the cheetah officer. He looked around, seeing not too many mammals in close proximity, before nudging up and whispering.

"Do you want to go up to my office and talk about Gazelle?"

"SSQQUUUUEEEEEEEEEEE…. OH-EM-GOODNESS! WOULD I?"

"I take that as a yes," he groaned, looking around. "Come on, and quietly."

He paused as his phone rang, bringing it up to his ear. "You didn't say where the talk would take place…"

"Uh, Chief?" Clawhauser began.

"I see…" he grunted, sitting down again. "Let's make this brief."

.

_**(1 hour later)**_

.

"But I'm telling you. She Wolf is her best song! Yes, it might be a bit ritzy and disco inspired, and to some fans who are in for her vocals it does lack in some of the truly fantastic harmonies that she can do. But it was a homage to her experiences and friendship with various Lupine musicians and assistants. She wanted to embrace the happiness, the fun, and yet the subdued power of those wolves, and give them a fun song they could dance to after a few drinks. Yes, she had to tone down the howls, but every song played on public radio has to do that. Heck, accidentally setting wolves off was what got '_Royals'_ by Lorde temporarily recalled. Maybe her best song doesn't have to be a city healing giant like '_Try Everything_, maybe instead the short fun stuff exemplifies her creativity and playfulness the best…"

"I still think _Try Everything_ is her best piece Chief."

"Tchhh…" he noted, before looking up and pausing as he saw the crowd surrounding him. "Move along," he ordered, as he backed up to his office, staring them all down and off as he went. As he did so, his phone rang.

"Was that enough!?" he grumbled.

"YES. YOU EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS."

"AND YOU WILL REGRET EVER PULLING THIS ON ME!"

"WHY? YOU'VE ENJOYED IT SO FAR."

"That is beside the point," he hissed. "You've been wasting my time."

"WHAT IF IT HAD A CONSTRUCTIVE PURPOSE?"

"And how would it have that?"

"BROADENING AND EDUCATING YOUR MIND."

"I find that unlikely," he snapped.

"CONSIDER THIS. IF YOU AGREE THAT THIS BLACKMAILING HAS EDUCATED YOU, WILL YOU WAIVE ALL DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST THOSE INVOLVED?"

He could almost feel his teeth about to crack. "You have _got_ to be joking."

"CERTAINLY NOT. IN ANY CASE. CONSIDER THE EMBARRASSMENT OF TRYING TO EXPLAIN THIS IN THE PAPERWORK. WHICH WOULD THEN BE READ BY WILDE."

"You evidently don't know my fox."

"WE KNOW YOUR BUNNY, WHO WILL TELL YOUR FOX."

"…Dammit, okay, you win," Bogo groaned. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

"OH, THAT WAS EASY… -QUIET, YOU'RE RUINING THE EFFECT…. -OOOPS, SORRY…. -HANG ON… -RIGHT THEN… -WOULD YOU ACCEPT THAT YOU'VE BEEN BLACKMAILED?"

"Yes, you blackmailed me," Bogo grumbled, as he entered his office, immediately jolting and slamming his door behind him. He looked at his desk, then back at the phone. "WHY IS THERE A GAZELLE BODY PILLOW ON MY CHAIR!"

"SORRY. THAT WAS FOR THE NEXT PHASE. IT'S SURPLUS TO REQUIREMENTS NOW. EITHER WAY, YOU CAN KEEP IT IF YOU WISH."

The Chief scowled. "I won't humour that with a response."

"REGARDLESS. YOU STATED YESTERDAY THAT A CERTAIN SUBSET OF MAMMALS COULD NEVER BLACKMAIL YOU AND, IF THEY COULD, YOU'D BE HAPPY WITH TWO OF YOUR EMPLOYEES PURSUING THEIR LEADS WHEREVER THEY WENT. IS THAT NOT CORRECT?"

"Detectives Dawson," Bogo began, his nostrils flaring. "The only reason I'm not mailing you back to Little Rodentia by slingshot is that I'm a mammal of my word, and I don't know where you are. Consider yourself correct, but consider yourselves on thin enough ice to crack under your own diminutive weight. Do you understand?"

There was a pause, before the natural voices of the two rodents spoke out. "Yes, Sir."

"We'll talk about this later," he said, hanging up the phone and putting it down. He sighed and grunted, before shaking his head. He should have asked what part Wilde had in this, given that the fox had to have a paw in it somewhere. Maybe he was the one who delivered the pillow?

Speaking of such, he had to do something about it.

Sure, it was the Angel with Horns looking radiant, as if she was in one of her own performances. Had it been on a poster, he'd have felt just about confident enough to have it in his own home. Maybe on the inside of a safe?

But a pillow had plenty of negative connotations, and being in the ZPD… He sighed, moving up to it and turning the pillow case inside out. Maybe he could blank it out for now, then secretly present it as a birthday gift to Clawhauser.

He quickly got it off, turned it inside out, and put it back on, then bothering to look.

"-OH GOD! THAT'S WORSE!"

Before he could work out a way to deal with what was on the inside, the crack of his door being broken in to rang out, and the Cape buffalo froze.

He then, slowly, turned around, spotting a familiar female cheetah, bunny, and, worst of all, fox, just standing there.

"Help still available," the vulpine said. "In fact, I could pass you on to my thera…"

"-Can it, Wilde! Why are you three here?"

Judy stepped forwards. "We were waiting for a confirmation of our duties. Catano said you were thinking about something, but neither you or the detectives were around to give us a sign off. Also, we're concerned for you…"

"Why would that be?"

"Well, you have been _off_ this morning."

"Also, that," Nick said, pointing at the pillow. The Chief was certain he was beginning to move into a flirty pose, ready to tease, when Judy gave him a ribbing and a stern look, cutting him off.

"Yeah," Catano added, Bogo noting that the cheetah had her eyes covered and was flinching away. "_That…_"

"Which, along with my behaviour this morning, was the result of our two rodents," the Chief scowled.

"What!" the cheetah exclaimed.

"Yes, I know…"

"-You really think I'm going to buy that?" she interrupted. "I… -You do realise that's a real person, there, on that pillow?"

"The mice put it…"

"Really?" she asked, pressing. "When and how did the mice do that!"

The Chief groaned, resting his head in his two hooves. "They can explain it when they get here."

"I'll be looking forward to that," she stated, as the Chief got out his phone.

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"-And so, we needed to prove this to him. After Wilde…"

"-Knew it!"

"-Talked about how he liked to make those who looked down on him eat their own words, and just to be clear he knew nothing about this," Basil explained. "We remembered that the Chief said that he'd let us go gallivanting off together if we proved that rodents could blackmail him. So, we did just that, sneaking up on him through the wall and floor spaces, finding about his love of Gazelle. We then had some harmless fun with it the next day, proving our point and, we do have this on recording, saying that we wouldn't face action for it."

"Though you are a fox's whisker away from trouble," Bogo warned, as Nick subconsciously checked to see if he hadn't clipped his recently.

"I'm sorry," Catano said, looking up to Bogo. She then looked down at the mice. "I'm… I'm not sure what I am…"

"Disappointed?" Basil asked.

"No."

"Angry?" Dave pondered.

"Getting there."

"I think it was brilliant," Nick said, giving the rodents a wink.

"But there would have been however many better ways to do it!" Catano scowled.

"Considering he didn't intend to listen, can you name some?" Basil asked.

"I…." she began, pausing to think. "If this Rattigan did exist, surely there'd be files on him from other law law enforcement agencies? Witnesses? Mammals who could testify…?"

There was a pause, as the mice looked at each other. "Well yes, there are the classified Interpol files…" Dave began. "She does have us there…"

"But it could have taken too long, and it wasn't his existence that the Chief was having trouble with," Basil countered. "Look, the Chief now accepts the rodents can blackmail and command much larger mammals into doing their bidding. We've got what we needed in less than twenty-four hours."

"Beats Carrot's personal record," Nick added.

"Yes, you've got Bogo giving you freer reign after humiliating him," she said. "To be fair, I respect him being a mammal of his word, I might not have been able to keep that after something like this… I hope I would. -But if you'd have done it my way, you'd have still got there in the end, without messing with people."

"-Regardless of that, if you needed help chasing them down, I'd have been happy to help," Judy said. "I believe you."

"So, do I," Nick said, stepping forwards. "If you'd have mentioned Rattigan to me, I'd have backed you up."

A pause filled the room, all eyes turning to him.

"You know about him?" Bogo asked.

"Only by reputation," Nick explained. "I used to hear small mammals, mainly rodents, mention his name here and there. Others saying that he was ordering them about, others about 'Felicity taking someone who dared call him a rat'. I heard about a Felicity a few times, a Fidgit once, but I didn't know the context. I just knew it was bad. And then, he vanished."

…

"Right," the Chief announced, groaning. "So, we've got two Detectives who are now no longer respected by me and their main assisting officer. We also might have a 'Rattigan' back in our city somewhere, returned after his long exile."

"Right," Nick began, before turning to the mice. "Where did he go, in the end?"

Basil stepped forwards. "Our last clue on his whereabouts were some enquiries into flying to Yerevyeen, but the trail dies after that. That was over ten years ago."

"Where's that?" Judy asked.

"Capital of Armyeenia," he said. "Interestingly, they have hardly any hyenid's there, the 'yeen' bit is totally unrelated to English whatsoever.

"Former Soeviet Union…" Nick noted. "Why is it ringing such a bell. Why…"

"It's ringing a bell with me, too," Judy said. "But Why? Something with rode… -Oh…"

"Yes?" Basil asked.

She looked up, her ears drooping behind her. "You think that someone in Big's organisation set him up to fall, correct?"

"Correct."

"What about Kozlov?" she asked sadly. "His right paw mammal?"

Basil blinked. "The one who then flew off to the Ewekraine to see a friend right after!" he exclaimed. "Oh, it makes sense now! It's all elementary, Dave! This polar bear gets a better offer from Rattigan, who's been hanging about it the former Union for who knows how long. He's seen the nighthowlers hit Zootopia and wants to return to the city. So, he has the bear collapse Big's empire from within, and then he goes back there to pick him up! Rattigan returns and takes over!"

"He said he'd be in Slav-vulpine or wherever for a month or so," Judy explained. "He really didn't seem like he enjoyed what had happened to Big though, and said stuff about outside forces hurting Fru-Fru. I don't want to think he betrayed him, but thanks to a certain Ewe I know not to trust kind words and such. He was talking about failure before, and gave me an heirloom to look after. -It's still at my place."

The Chief nodded, stepping up to her.

"Can you confirm that he's still out there."

"He's not due to fly back yet," she said. "If you hurry, you might be able to catch him."

The Chief nodded, before turning to the detectives. "I can use five of your holiday days and let you go on your own investigation out there next week. We'll cover travel expenses."

Basil and Dave blinked, looking at him. "That's certainly generous," the former began. "But a rodent carrying airship would take two to three days for just one Atlantic crossing."

"Airship?" the Chief asked, smiling. "This is much too urgent for such a slow form of transport, far too expensive too. We could have you across there by this time tomorrow by booking a cheap rodent seat on a jet."

"Oh," Basil agreed. "Theoretically yes. But there's a reason, besides the small size, that rodent plane tickets are so cheap."

"Uh, Basil…" Dave began.

"-You see, a tiny little bump to you is a rollercoaster to us…"

"-Um, Basil?"

"And a normal flight is quite a frightening affair. We have to wear five-point harnesses…"

"Basil?"

"It's bad enough for short hops, but across a continent and then an ocean, there's a reason very small mammals tend to use airships."

The Chief smiled. "I know that."

"Oh," Basil said, Dave nudging up to him.

"I believe our Chief is insisting on this, too _-ehhh_, as you put it… 'Get his own back' on us."

"Yes. I see that now."

The Chief clapped his hooves together. "You two should better get packing," he said. "Given that you won't want to eat given what's coming, that gives you plenty of time to prepare."

"Yes…" Basil noted.

"It does," Dave added.

Chief Bogo smiled, this was a good moment. It was just a shame that Wilde, a smug grin growing on his face, was about to ruin it.

"May I say Chief, welcome to the dark side."

He chuckled. This had been a very strange day, and to top it off Wilde had just made a moment even better.

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**AN: So, it seems the mice (sort of) get what they want, and Bogo gets his own back. Next chapter, we have lots of characters going to a baby shower hosted by Mr Fox. To quote a bobcat who I have no plans whatsoever of including in my crossover, 'what could possibly go wrong?'**

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_Kyiv airport. Ewekraine. Twenty hours later._

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"ARGGHHHHH…"

"Ahhhhhhh…."

"ARGHHHHH…."

"Ah-ah-ahhhhhhh…." _THUNK…_

"Dave! What's happened, the world's still spinning…"

"Mine is too, even though I'm lying on the floor."

"Where on the -AHHHHH!"

"You just tripped over me!"

"So… So I did…"

"Are you okay?"

"No, but that wasn't the trip's fault."

"Same here," Dave groaned. He slowly got onto all fours and, leaning onto a wall, steadied himself. "I… I… -Have you ever been to a paint shop, and seen those shaking devices they use to mix the paint?"

"I… I can finish that sentence by saying I feel the same," Basil whined, getting up to. "Parts of me are aching that I didn't know exist before… But… But we're here now."

"We can spend the night in a hotel and recover, then go up and try to find these guys and stop them."

"I do hope they're up to evil," Basil added. "I don't want this to be a waste of our time."

"Waste of our time!" Dave said. "I don't want that trip to be in vain." He then paused and gulped. "Or the return one."

"Return…?" Basil began, before sinking to his knees, clutching his head and screaming.

"Maybe Rattigan's going back by airship, or regular ship, and we can use that as an excuse to hitch a ride there," he said, before groaning as a new ache came up.

"Yes. Let's go and stop this evil, once and for all," Basil said, before collapsing onto the floor again.

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_200km to the North._

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An elderly sow was walking along the tree lined street of the Yerevyeen quarter, past the blooming trees and verdant bushes. On her left were the apartment blocks that made up most of her town and, on the right, the kind of homestead house that she always preferred. Two stories, plastered and painted white and yellow, and with a walled garden that was filled with crops or chickens depending on the species of the resident. Letting herself in, she paused as she heard arguing coming from inside, both mammals angrily yammering at each other in Russian.

"_I am telling you Kozlov, this is the optimal frequency! We have it! It must be the same one that she used!"_

"_But the speed is still too slow. I saw it on that night. It was fast. Faster than we ever achieved before!"_

"_Well then maybe when you go back to your city, build it and scale it up to full size, we'll hit the speed she did!_"

"_But she managed with tiny…"_

"_Pah! We don't get perfection! Why the fuck are you complaining if you can't hold it? What the fuck do you think a truck is for? We both know I don't know how to fucking recreate what the other warrior was using to fly around, but from the second time you know that good old fucking heavy weaponry works!"_

"_I know it fucking does Jorin! But how do we know if this doesn't work? If it really is true, if there really is no justice, if these people were not avenged, if Sizogo Orla is truly coming back, then I want to know we fucking can win!"_

"_SO DO I COMRADE!" _There was a pause, the sow outside deciding that she might as well knock.

"_Maybe if you tweak. Here, let me…"_

She knocked, before flinching back as a muffled _poof_ sounded out from inside. There was the sound of some loud braying, and angry '_Fuck-you's'_, before a table ground across the floor. "_Jorin. Mind killing that mammal?"_

Waiting a few seconds, she watched as the door opened and an aged mammal, about the size of a wolf, stepped out. The olive furred, hunched back Syrian wild ass, his fur greying, pulled off his goggles and looked at her.

"_Mister Jorin," _she said. "_I bring Perogi and Varenyky."_

He nodded, then turned back. "_Hey, idiot! It is Babushka with the food_."

A massive polar bear walked up behind him, his face covered in ash. "_Maybe not kill her yet_. _I'll get out the wine."_


	37. Foxes and Friends 1

**FFoZ S1E16**

**Foxes and Friends.**

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**AN: Welcome back, to one of two big line tickets I've got planned for all you guys. That's right, it's the 'Fox family baby shower', originally planned to be a short fluffy chapter or two but then turned into the largest fic so far for one simple reason.**

**I realised that we all deserved to see Nick and Mr Fox quote-unquote working together. But on what exactly?**

**Hehehe, you'll have to read on to find out but, I must admit, this was one of my favourite stories to both plan out and write. I've also commissioned an excellent bit of art by Ziegelzeig which is on display over on the Ao3 version.**

**Now, looking at my update schedule, there are 3 fics and 8 chapters left for me to publish before we get to the grand finale for season 1, which will probably be a full length story all by itself. After a bit of a hiatus, I've got back into writing it and… -oooh, it's gonna be something. Now, with 7 weeks before I go on a holiday, I'll probably squeeze in a mid week update somewhere or other, we'll have to see.**

**Anyhow, enough rambling by me. On with the show. Thanks for following so far and stay pawsome.**

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"I still think I should have gotten them a baby monitor."

"Relax, Carrots, it'll be fine."

Judy smiled, rolling her eyes a little. "That's easy for you to say, Slick. Have you ever dealt with little cubs and kits?"

The fox sitting next to her smiled. "Maybe not in the traditional sense, but recently I've been getting more acquainted."

A little chuckle escaped from the bunny's mouth. Regardless, she carried on driving, speaking as she did so. "I don't think Operation Pacifier Clip counts, Nick."

"Oh don't be so hasty," he warned, giving her a cunning look. "The _things_ little children tell you when they think you're one of them…" He left it unsaid, giving an exaggerated shiver instead.

"Ha-Ha… -But still, I could give a little bit more to help Mr and Mrs Fox out, couldn't I?"

Nick chuckled.

"-What?"

"Carrots," he said, bringing out his fingers and beginning to list off of them. "You've already got a box of spare clothes in the back almost as big as you are, another box full of baby books, _another_ boxful of toys, and an assorted collection of weapons-grade-cute stuffed bunnies…"

"-You can't call bunnies cute," she reminded him, turning and raising a finger as she did so. He reacted, as usual, in faux outrage.

"Fluff, to think I'd ever forget that golden rule. What kind of fox do you take me for?"

She turned and smirked at him. "The one who just called bunnies cute."

"Ah," he interrupted, shaking his head. "_Au-contraire_, Fluff, I was merely referring to some stuffed toys, made in the likeness of bunnies, as cute."

Judy was still for a bit, before relaxing. "Okay, you've got me there. But it isn't a whole box of stuffed bunnies."

"Indeed, I'm pretty sure I saw a very dapper stuffed fox in there too. Whose fur happened to be the same shade of red as the inside of your ears are right now."

Judy stewed in her embarrassment for a little bit, before taking decisive action. "You know you love me?"

"Do I?" he asked, smiling. "Yes, absolutely and with all my heart. One-hundred percent."

Judy was embarrassed again, but it was the kind that she liked. The kind that Nick gave her as they hung out, looked after each other, dated… She may have started this to see how it went, but after giving it her all she was really beginning to enjoy it. She glanced away from the road to look at Nick, the fox smirking back.

"Good," she said, smiling. It wasn't long now until they got to the Fox household, ready for Felicity's baby shower. On hearing about her pregnancy, Judy was happy, and all too willing to help out. Being a bunny on top of that meant that she could send a simple word out and a whole host of donated things would arrive on her door, ready to be passed on to the new mother. Still… "I could have gotten her that baby monitor."

There was a clearing of a throat next to her, as Nick brought out a letter. "_Dear all. I'd like to thank you so much for showing such care and interest in my wife's current state. Indeed, it reminds my so very much of the heady days of her first pregnancy, in which the very lexicon of our lives and purpose was thrown into great confusion and disarray. For we, at that stage, were transitioning from young and independent mammals, into those bound by the need to care, love and raise a new mammal in this world of ours. We were, at short notice, bound to become parents, with all that came with that._

_A long time and many events have passed since then and plenty has changed. Much, like the mystery and anticipation that lies before the bringing of a new individual into our world, hasn't. The best part of fifteen years is a long period in which to delay the birth of a new child, and consequently why a second celebration, or baby shower as it is oft known, is considered in order._

_While we'll be very grateful for all well-wishes and gifts given with the aim of our benefit, there are a few things to note. Most of our gear from Ash's days of incredible youth are still in working order. The crib, high chair, a variety of furniture and stroller were all kept in storage, and managed to weather incidents such as the great barn roof leak of twenty-thirteen. Such items as toys and clothes, or rather those we hadn't been able to sell on by that point in time, were sadly lost. Consequently, we likely won't need any major hard purchases of furniture or 'essential gadgets'. For example, milk bottles and any related heating and sterilizing paraphernalia."_

"Okay," Judy admitted. "So they may still have a monitor."

Nick nodded. "_What would be most welcome (or rather, what my wife has judged most helpful) would be new books, toys, clothes (with a requirement for unisex provision) and any other gift that you feel we wouldn't initially seek out ourselves, but which is judged to increase the ease and satisfaction of the role of parent, or baby._

… _Yadda, yadda, yadda… Sincerely, Mr Fox."_

"Which I've got," she said, confidently. She nodded her head. "So, I'm all sorted on that front. And you?"

Nick paused, before his eyes widened. "I've just realized I've left the presents…"

"-What?" Judy panicked. "Right, I'll…"

"-Here," he continued, leaning down to pick up some goods.

Judy glanced over at him and sighed with relief. "I'd normally punch you," she teased.

"That's fox abuse."

"It's a good thing I'm driving then."

"Absolutely. Do you know how many accidents are caused by fox abuse and driving?"

Smirking at him, Judy shook her head as she turned onto the right driveway. Up ahead, the thick oak tree that the Fox family lived in rose up at the crest of the hill. On one side, where the ground rose up to the second floor, the doors had been opened and a small marquee set up, giving some more space for the many visitors and well-wishers who were attending. Their vehicles were parked lower down and Judy pulled up their cruiser, on loan from the precinct, as she and Nick got out. Both carried two of her boxes, while he carried his goods as well, politely declining Judy's offer to deal with it.

Turning, they set off, quickly making their way up as they followed the paths and steps laid out. As they went though, Judy heard some groaning and, looking down, saw another mammal on the way up. It was a small mole, struggling by himself as he tried to navigate the oversized steps. He had a tattered old chocolate box that he was using as a makeshift intermediate step between each of the stone steps, but having to stop, turn, and retrieve it with each one made it an onerous task. She gasped slightly, putting down her boxes and turning to him. "Do you need a paw?"

"I have two fine ones, thank you," he said in a raspy, nasal voice, turning back down to pull up both his present and his step-box.

"I mean, do you want some help being carried to the house?"

"I have my dignity," he muttered, turning up to try and face her, only to stare past her. "And this is very undignified. Yes please."

She leant in and picked him up with one paw, his present and book with another. Together, they set off, leaving her presents where they were; she could pick them up again later. First, she could catch up with Nick and drop the mole off. With him carrying his load, that was fairly easy, and all three of them entered the living room together. Mr Fox was there, waiting for them.

"Officer Nicholas Wilde and Judy Hopps of the ZPD," he introduced. "Splendid to see you, you'll be glad to know that your arrival has helped ensure all plans for this night are lining up like clockwork. I'm sure all members of my family will be happy to know of your presence."

"Yup," Nick said, smiling. "We two mammals, bunny and fox. Bringing gifts, packaged in box."

"And most generous they seem," he said, nodding in approval while rubbing his paws together. "We have a designated pile over yonder," he said, gesturing over to a corner of the room where a large pile of gifts was already growing. Judy watched as a female badger placed down a small one on it before wandering over to the little nook nearby, where Felicity Fox was sitting down, wearing her yellow dress with red apple decorations, a baby bump clearly visible. "Direct proceeding to the main mammal of interest afterwards is optional, though generally recommended," he said with a smirk.

The pair nodded as Nick began walking over, the presents in store. Judy began following too, only to be cut off by a rather whiny complaint. "I have my dignity, you know?"

"Oh gosh," Judy gasped, as she placed the mole back down on the floor. He held his present and his step-book with him, and brushed himself off. "I'm so sorry."

"I am my own mammal," he carried on. "With dreams and aspirations…"

"Phil, it's a pleasure to meet you too," Mr Fox spoke, breaking the small mammal's line of conversation.

"Nice to meet you too," he said, as the pair began talking. Seeing that it was all okay, Judy motioned to the door. "I just need to get my presents," she said, spotting Mr Fox nodding before she departed. Back out onto the path, she began making her way back down, skipping along as she went. Her presents weren't that far away, and she could quickly retrieve them and…

She had to double take as she spotted a familiar bunny walking up the path, a set of boxes in his paws. Were it not for his distinctive stripes, she'd have been certain that it was a case of mistaken identity. But no, it was him, and she was suddenly curious as to why he was here. "Jack?"

"Judy?" he asked, as she skipped down to meet him. Their eyes met, and he relaxed, "Now, I'm pretty certain that there's some long and complex backstory to you being here," he said, smiling as he hammed himself up. "The place for some long flashback scene, or montage, designed to pull on the emotions or reveal some hidden facet. Judy Hopps, give me your best!"

"Nick's a friend of the family."

He twitched a little, but carried on smiling. "Judy Hopps," he said, buckling himself up. "You once again prove yourself a master of deadpan humor, with a sprinkling of Occam's razor to boot."

"Yup," Judy said, paws on her hips and smiling. "Just like the old days, keep it short and sweet."

"'Brevity is the soul of wit' as they say."

She smiled. "If you think that's good, you should have seen it when I pulled the 'good at multiplying' joke on Nick. But yeah, we got to know the Fox family. Does Skye know them too?"

"Yeah," he agreed, nodding. "She mentioned it and I decided I wanted to help with it."

Judy paused, blinking for a few seconds, before bringing out her carrot pen. "Okay. I'd like to know who you are, and where the real Jack Savage is?"

"I may have gone through some offscreen character development," he replied, before pausing, his ears raising up and pivoting. Judy's did too and, looking over to the noise source, she gasped.

"Skye!? How's the leg?"

Striding over in her crutches, the swift fox vixen sighed. "Seen better days," she said, before pausing, her head cocking slightly in confusion. "Do you know the family?"

"Nick and I do," she said. "What about you?"

"I know Felicity via my sister, and do repairs for Foxy," she said, as she looked up to the house. She paused a little, thinking. "Is Nick up there?"

"Yes," Judy began, her nose twitching a little. "Listen, I know you and him don't exactly get along…"

"-I've been hearing a lot of things about him," she pondered. "I… I think he deserves a second chance." There was a pause, then a slight guffaw. "I'd never think I'd say this, but I'm kinda glad he's here."

"And I'm happy you two are here too," Judy said, before she paused, looking at the swift fox's crutches. "Oooh… It's a bit of a way up, do you want any help?"

"I'm…" Skye began, her voice reserved at first before trailing off. She checked herself, closing her eyes and taking a breath in, before nodding. "Yes please."

"Right then," Judy nodded, as they set off. Her boxes and stuff could wait until next time. After all, it wasn't raining or anything. So, she walked by Skye on her bad side, helping to lift her up whenever a troublesome step came up. However, she was more interested in talking to Jack.

"I mean," she said, "good for you that you're trying to put some effort into some other stuff, but what's changed?"

Carrying Skye's and his gifts, Jack looked over and shrugged. "Just the most tired and overused cliché ever."

Pausing, it took longer than she'd like to admit for Judy to get it. "Oh, the damsel in distress," she said, looking up to Skye. "You decided to look after her after all?"

"Well, I decided to give her a little gift. Then I found out that she was in a bad situation. I started helping her, and… -Well, something changed..." He trailed off as he said it.

"What was that?"

"I dunno. I just feel like I want to try and put some effort into non-acting stuff. Skye mentioned the baby shower, I had no reason to go, but I thought I would try some more."

"Well," Judy said, a big smile growing on her face. "Congratulations."

"He's not the one having a baby, you know," Skye joked as they approached the house. Once more, Judy entered in, Mr Fox waiting to greet them.

"Ah, Miss Autumn plus one. A fine bonus to this meetup. We'd like to welcome you all to the celebrations, gifts go to your left, the centerpiece of attention is to your right, we hope you have a pleasant baby shower."

"Good to meet you too, Foxy," Skye said. "This is Jack Savage, my Boyfriend."

The jackrabbit nodded, walking forwards. "Hi."

"And a warm hello to you too," Mr Fox replied, shaking his paw. "You're in theatre, correct?"

A smile grew on his muzzle. "It is my home. My domain. My kingdom."

"I meanwhile am a jack of all trades doing various odd jobs, while also writing as a columnist for a newspaper," he said.

"Opinion?"

"General observation with an artistic flare."

"So, recounting the well-known facts with a greater concentration of flourishes," Jack parried, a little spark in his eyes.

A little spark matched by the ones in Mr Fox's. "If by that you mean adding the characteristic most commonly known by the younger generations as, quote-unquote, 'pizazz' to various topics at choice in order to hook readers into otherwise disinteresting conversations, then you may be correct."

"So the building up narratives, with ever more complex linguistic compositions, from baseline plots and ideas. It seems that our artistic endeavors are more similar than we once presumed, though I feel that in the realms of embellishment I may still come out on top."

"Certainly, the expansion of small snippets and heresy into long-winded and deep narrative performances that are highly obfuscated in their verbatim, a practice whose zenith I am the singular individual in this abode to nearest contact. Indeed, this reminds me of the time that my grandfather, a codgety old fellow whose fur was more often than not falling out with mange, talked about building a sled for a race. Interesting thing about sledding back in the days of the climate wall commissioning…"

Judy politely backed off, leaving the two males in their element. She could go and get those boxes at last, though she was broken off by a familiar voice.

"I know you wanted to get more, Carrots, but those two?"

She smiled as Nick walked up to her. "Skye happens to know Mrs Fox; says it's through her sister."

He nodded, before pausing. "I see the leg thing is true."

"Yes," Judy sighed, "but it seems Jack has found his motivation. He's looking after her."

Nick nodded in agreement, before pausing as he saw someone outside. "That's why I couldn't find Ash," he said, pointing down to one of the barns. "Hang on, I'm just going to catch up."

Judy nodded, seeing him go, before making her own way down. Presents, after all. "Hopefully no more distractions," she said, as she skipped down to where they were. As she approached though, she saw some new mammals turn up. "Well, maybe I can work with that distraction."

She waited and smiled as Kris and his father approached, both carrying their own wrapped presents under their arm. "Miss Hopps," the latter said, smiling and nodding.

"Dr Silverfox," she greeted, smiling. She turned to shake paws with Kris too. "Kris."

"Miss Hopps."

"Please, call me Judy," she said, before turning to her boxes.

"Want some help?" the young fox asked, Judy nodding in response. He passed his present to his father, took one of her boxes, and all three of them began making their way back up. They chatted a little as they made the journey, mainly the usual small talk, as well as the bunny asking the young fox about how he was doing in their new home. Kris was happy to talk back, and they were all in a good mood as they approached the tree. Nick and Ash were waiting outside, and they waved as the group meet up.

"Carrots, if I keep on sending you out will you keep returning with more mammals?"

She ignored him, passing her box to Nick before taking the one Kris was carrying. "Come on," she said. "Let's put these down. The three adults nodded, heading inside, while the two teenagers stood awkwardly outside.

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Ash paused, getting his fingers out and flexing them. A lot of things had been going on, giving him little time to practice what he'd been learning. Still, a bit of a warm-up with Nick, and he felt good. Out came his fingers, as he signed to his cousin. "_How are you?"_

"_I'm good, Ash. And you?"_

He shrugged. "_I'm okay."_

A slight look of concern grew across the silver fox's muzzle. "_Are you feeling okay?"_

…

"_Yes, I just said so."_ Ash replied, his eyes narrowing a little as his tail gave an irritated sweep.

Kris paused for a second or two. "_Just concerned."_

The older cousin's head cocked a little in confusion. "_Why? I'm okay."_

"_Well, you're not good…"_

"_But okay is good. It means nothing is bad."_

"_You just didn't say good."_

"_Things have been fairly neutral recently."_

"_Even with the kit?"_

"_Oh, I've been very excited for that."_

"_Is that sarcasm or not sarcasm?"_

"Why would it be sarcasm?" Ash spoke, Kris flinching back a little. The silver fox thought for a little, before carrying on.

"I just thought that if you were so excited, things would be good."

"Is there a problem with everything just being okay?" Ash asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I guess not," Kris replied. "It's just your use of semantics was a bit contradictory."

Ash opened his mouth to speak, only to stop himself and shake his head. "Right," he grunted. "Though I'd argue that it's the limitations of sign language – no tone…"

"I guess," Kris said, with a smile. They both relaxed, Ash slowly walking over to a small nook in the outside of the tree to sit down at, Kris joining him. "How are the preparations going?"

"They're mostly done," Ash replied, as he smiled proudly. "I helped decorate the nursery and stuff, and my new room."

Kris nodded. "I also helped," he said. "My Dad and I made some presents."

Pausing, the red fox nodded, smiling. "They'll be great," he said. "I'm fine with that."

…

"You know, your stuff is probably better," Kris spoke, as he turned and put a paw on Ash's shoulder.

There was a flicker of an ear, but his cousin spoke cordially back. "You don't need to say stuff like that to make me feel better, I'm fine with it."

"I…" he began, before pausing. His ears tipped back and down, and he looked forward, out across the fields and trees and towards the towers of downtown. "We did different things, Ash," he said. "My father and I both prepared little things which mean a lot to us… But what you did was a lot of work that might make things a lot easier for others. Or makes them a little happier every day." He turned back to his cousin and looked down, grabbing his paw in his own. "Maybe in the odd moment, our things will be better. But I think in a lot of ways what you did will be better too."

…

"You know I didn't need that pep talk," Ash said, as he looked over to Kris. He held back for a bit, before a smile grew on his muzzle. "But thanks a lot I guess… -what did you get, by the way?"

"It's a secret for now, but our gifts are things that mean a lot to us," he said. He smiled as he said it, relaxing back and remembering. His eyes closed, and a sad look of longing grew on his face, something noticed by Ash.

"You okay?"

He nodded. "I'm okay," he replied.

"Good," Ash agreed, as he stood up. "Anyway, before we do this baby thing, I think we have some unfinished business."

"Well, I'm happy to finish it," Kris replied, as he stood up. The pair looked at each other and stepped in, making their way to the staircase. The inside of the house wasn't that big, however, and they had to jostle around the growing crowd. Passing a queue that was forming for the downstairs bathroom, they reached the stairs and began making their way up.

.

Meanwhile, Nick, Judy and Dr William Silverfox were adding their gifts to the pile. Grabbing Kris' one, Nick slipped it onto the top of Judy's pile, while Kris' father tenderly placed his, a wrapped-up book by the looks of it, down in a corner.

"It's something very special, I guess," Nick said, looking on.

The silver fox nodded, sighing as he did so. "Yes," he said, smiling sadly. "Honestly, I was almost a little worried about parting with it. But I'm certain it'll bring a lot of joy to dear Felicity."

"Yeah," Nick said, as he turned away, scratching the back of his head. He looked around, noticing that Judy had gone off to talk with the lady badger from earlier. Mr Fox was also close by, and would have likely overheard and then slipped into their conversation were it not for the male badger currently talking to him.

So, it was just Nick and Kris' father.

He liked him.

He really did.

He was so very like someone no longer in his life…

…

"Say, what's it like?" he asked, quietly.

"What's what like?"

Nick shrugged. "Being a Dad, I guess."

Dr Silverfox turned to Nick and smiled, bringing a chair over. He still looked gaunt and weak, a constant reminder of his illness, but he settled down and spoke with a youthful optimism. "Well, I guess it depends on who you are and who your child is," he pondered. "But with Kristofferson, it's the most amazing, rewarding thing. It's more than that, even. It's a bit hard to explain, but it's almost like he's a part of me…"

"Hmmm?"

"Ever had someone who you thought was your soul mate?"

A smirk grew on his muzzle. "You could say that."

"Well," he said. "You know how it isn't about you anymore, it's about us. It's like that with me and him. My son isn't just my son, he's my closest friend, my greatest confidant… He's someone I care for more than myself." There was a long pause, and a sigh. "When I was ill, I was more scared about leaving him an orphan than my own death. When I was recovering, I just wanted to recover faster so that he could have his father back. When I finally got here, I was so happy to see him fitting in, thriving… I wake up every morning and I wonder how he's feeling, if he's happy here, how he's fitting in." He trailed off, and Nick looked over to see him wearing the biggest smile he'd ever seen. "He makes me happier, and prouder, than any other mammal alive… I guess that's what it's like, being a father."

Nick nodded, looking away as he felt a melancholy spread through him. He'd been totally expecting it, but still it came. Dumb fox…

"You okay?"

Nick sighed, feeling a little apprehensive… -First time in a while, actually. Still, he closed his eyes and breathed in, he could do this. "I'm guessing my father was like you."

William's ears drooped down, and he silently pushed a paw out. Nick was tempted to draw his back, but he let the other fox place his over it. It felt good. "I'm…" he began to say, before stopping himself.

"It may be unoriginal, but you can say that you're sorry," Nick snarked. That felt a little better.

"I am… -How old were you?"

"Seven."

"Kris was barely three…"

Nick flinched. He knew Kris had lost his mother, but at that age… He felt his heart shiver. "I know what it's like to lose a father," he said sadly. "Not a mother though… -Does he have any memories of her?"

"One," William replied, sadly. "But it's a long and precious one… It's actually the inspiration for his gift to Felicity."

"That's nice," Nick agreed, looking over to the pregnant vixen, still talking with friends. He'd forgotten that this was her sister who they were talking about.

"My gift is very much related to her too," he said, trailing off a little. "As I said, something very dear, and very precious."

"I'm sure she'll love it," Nick said, smiling. "How's Kris talking the news, by the way?"

"Good. He's very excited." There was a pause, and a chuckle. "I'm hoping he gets very involved. He never got the luxury of getting a sibling…" he said, trailing off. "We were trying for one, when…"

Nick's ears lowered down. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you," he replied quietly, nodding. "But hopefully he'll get to make lots of good memories with Ash's new sibling, almost like it was his own…" There was a pause and a chuckle. "I suppose that's one good thing to come out of my illness."

"That's an interesting take, but I can roll with it," Nick replied, smirking.

"Yeah. But, honestly, I should have moved to Zootopia a long time ago. Bringing Kris over to meet his family."

"Are you sure? I thought he liked where he grew up."

"He did," William replied, shrugging. "And I guess it made sense to stay until my parents, being as old as they were and needing some care themselves, passed away, and then he had his friends… -But at the same time, he had this connection to his mother that he wasn't getting." He spoke sadly, looking over at Felicity. "Maybe we should have sorted out holidays and such. But having him staying here, I hoped he'd get to know his mother more, even if it was by proxy." He paused, and smiled. "I'm glad that Felicity was there to be a mother for him when I was ill, and I hope she can continue to be that."

Nick smiled and leant over, wrapping his arm around Dr Silverfox's back. "Well, I'm sure she will, just like I'm sure that you're a fantastic dad."

Slipping back, Nick watched the warm smile grow on the other fox's face. He nodded, and patted Nick on the shoulder. "From someone like you, who did so much for this city and my family, that's a great honor. And Nicholas, if you ever want anyone to talk to, just call me. I think I can extend the same favors to you that Felicity did to my son."

Deep down, it may have been what he'd wanted, but it still came as a paralyzing shock to Nick. He stood there, feet rooted to the ground, as a warm feeling seemed to creep through him, tingling as it reached his extremities. Biting his bottom lip a little with his front teeth, his paws trembling, his breath getting deeper, Nick, for one of the few moments in his adult life, was left speechless. "T-T-Thank you," he managed, as a goofy smile grew on his muzzle.

Dr Silverfox just smiled and nodded. "It'd be an honor, almost like raising my own boy."

Taking a big breath in to steady himself, Nick let it out. "Wooo… Yeah, thanks…" he said, a smile on his muzzle. "Though, to be fair, I already have a mother, and I don't think a dress would suit you."

There was a brief pause, before both foxes broke down into hysterics.

"I'll… I must… I must say, that's something that… that Kris doesn't do."

"Hey," Nick replied, giving a wink. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart."

.

Their laughter filled the room, though most mammals let them get on with their own business. Judy, who'd just finished talking with a badger lady, watched the two grab some food and wander outside. She was beginning to get a bit hungry herself, maybe she'd get something. She began making her way over, having to slip through a small crowd who'd been waiting for the toilet and had just told that they could use the en-suite upstairs, before reaching the table. Scanning around, she grabbed some carrot sticks and humus and began munching.

"Oh!" came an annoyed grunt. "Judy Hopps is a friend of Foxy's. Right then…"

Looking to her side, she noticed a thickly built badger approach, grabbing some finger food himself. "A pleasure to meet you," she said.

He paused, before pushing forwards to shake her paw. "Badger, of Badger, Beaver and Beaver, attorneys at law," he said.

Judy paused as they let go, a feeling of worry seeping into her. After all, he'd held back when seeing him. He was a predator… "Is anything wrong?" she asked, hoping that it was just a misunderstanding.

He snorted, her ears crashing against the back of her head as she did so. "I'll be frank. As someone who deals with a mammal like Foxy, him being friends with a mammal of such… shall we say propensity for action, as yourself, naturally causes me great concern."

"Oh," she said. That wasn't so bad. "Why?"

He snorted. "I have to legally represent Mr Fox and deal with his business, given that he won't follow my advice and get out of it. Now, while not in the realms of criminal or even borderline activity, we're talking about a mammal who, employment wise, is in a very unstable position."

"I…" she began, blinking. "I'm not sure what the problem is?"

"On the newspaper side, one libel case or one bad mix-up can knock out his sole stable source of income, and on the other side… His pest control activities and smallholdings are very loose sources. I would NOT want to base any livelihood on them, from purely practical terms. Any one of them could make it all fall through. He was very lucky that the nighthowler case ended when it did… -so I guess we can thank you for that one."

One of Judy's ears went up, the other going down. "Hang on, is he in debt? And I'm still not sure why I'm a problem."

"I wouldn't say you're a problem in and of yourself," he explained. "It's just that mammals who've done things like yourself might attract detractors, who might target loved ones instead of you…" He paused, and his eyes narrowed. "And of course, while I have no qualms about you going on various escapades, I wouldn't trust Foxy not to follow you on them and get himself in trouble."

"Right," she said, thinking she was getting it. "You think that I'd pull him into trouble."

"It raises the possibility of him getting in trouble himself, which is already stupidly high as this is Foxy we're talking about. I do have a lot of experience with him. And, while not in debt, his reserves are low. With this new baby, a nasty hit could send everyone up cuss creek without a paddle." He paused, sighing.

"Well, I guess his friends could all help him out," Judy said, looking around at the crowds.

"Well, yes. I suppose. I could offer him a very good remortgaging on this place… What with its unique rustic take on the lighthouse aesthetic. But even with me pushing the limit, I'm pretty certain I'd end up with the place at the end."

Judy sighed. "Well, I'll try and keep him out of trouble."

Mr Badger nodded, moving to speak only to be cut off by Nick as he walked up next to them, grabbing some food for himself. "She's the biggest trier I know, but even that's asking the impossible," he teased.

"Well I'd still recommend it," Mr Badger advised with a frown. "Though I don't rate your chances highly, given who you're dealing with." There was a pause, and he relaxed somewhat. "Regardless, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," she said, Nick nodding along too.

He nodded and stepped away from the table only to jolt, frowning as a weak voice piped up. "Have you seen my box?"

Badger frowned. "No," he said, looking down. "Phil. While you may be legally blind, please look where you're going."

"I'm sorry," the small mole croaked. "I'm just pacing. I need the bathroom, and the queue is long."

"You know," Judy offered. "The en-suite upstairs is open. I can take you there."

He raised his little black muzzle up as he tried to look Judy in the face, and he spoke up, pointing straight forwards to Badger. "I want my independence and dignity. Don't hit me with your culture of low expectations," he said, before walking off.

Judy looked nervously at him, and then up at the badger.

"He'll be fine," he said, before walking off, Nick wandering off in a different direction.

"Right," Judy replied. She wasn't quite as sure, but she'd still trust him. Grabbing the last of her food and seeing that there was still a small group of mammals around Felicity, she went outside. It was less crowded there and, as she looked around, she saw some familiar faces almost hidden behind the curve of the tree. She thought she might as well give them a visit, and some help when required. "Need a paw, Skye?"

Sat down against the tree, Skye looked up at her and slowly shook her head. "Not now, thanks."

Judy nodded but walked over anyways, easing herself down next to the vixen and Jack. Both had their own plates of food and were fairly isolated from the rest of the group, so Judy thought she could give them a bit of company. Sitting on the floor next to the striped buck, who was lying down with his back propped against the tree, she started munching on her food. She was halfway through a corn cob when Jack spoke out.

"How's the job going?"

"Good," she replied, looking over to him. "I mean, we're still mopping up after the big raid a while back. Not much I can talk about there."

Jack smiled a little, before looking up to Skye. "So, no chances for prying and conversation," he said, smiling a little before glancing up at Skye. "Ah… a nice excuse to be lazy."

She chuckled a little. "Maybe you don't need one," she said, smiling. "We all need some time to ourselves, here and there, don't we?" Easing over, she lay down a paw and began scratching Jack's head, the buck squirming up into her, a happy look on his face.

Judy couldn't help but notice it and smile. It seemed they really had found something that worked out, and she had to admit that it looked pretty good. Looking at Jack, she imagined Nick with the same content look on his muzzle, her paw being the one treating him. She couldn't help but squirm a little at the image, the thought sending her warm and gooey inside.

And then a paw landed between her ears, began scratching, and she jolted in surprise before submitting under a wave of pleasure.

"I could tell you were envious," Nick said, smiling as he sat down next to her. Her knees buckling a little, she lowered herself to the floor too, and then all four of them were then sitting together. Nick and Skye on the outside, their bunnies on the inside.

"I was actually thinking of giving you the treatment," Judy sighed contently as she relaxed under his touch, looking up at Nick next to her. His mouth puckered a little, before his whole face went all sly and cool.

"Do you still want to do that?" he teased, the tone sending a ripple of excitement down to the tip of her tail.

She'd have said no just a few seconds before, but now… Looking at him… She felt like she was being drawn in, something she was all too eager to let happen. "Maybe I do," she said, as she leant up, her fingers flowing through the fur on his cheek.

"Sly bunny…"

"Dumb fox."

There was a clearing of a throat from their side, and both turned to see Skye giving them a slightly nervous look. "This is someone else's baby shower, remember?" she said cautiously. They were off to the side of the tree and, glancing around, she couldn't see anyone who'd seen them.

"Really?" Nick asked, incredulously. He glanced around, before shrugging. "I thought we were here to knight Sir Judy Hopps of Bunnyburrow."

That set his bunny off, and Skye looked on, a faint grin growing on her muzzle. Shaking her head, she let it grow out wide. "You know what I mean," she said. "We don't want to embarrass ourselves or anything."

"I know that," Nick replied, as he took his paw off of Judy's head and pulled it up one of her ears. As it went, his claws played and toyed with then sensitive skin, sending Judy flinching and moaning a little. He finished with a flourish, whisking his paw up and off her ear tip, the bunny's face contorting from pleasure and left leg kicking out on reflex.

"Aaaahhh!" she moaned.

"Enjoying it, Carrots?"

He smiled warmly at her, only to feel a shiver of cold plunge into his heart as she suddenly curled up, glancing around. Her ears were flushed red and a paw covered up her mouth; it was like an encore to her reaction on first seeing the mystic springs oasis.

"Carrots?" Nick asked, a slight panic in his voice. His ears drooped down, and he felt a pit forming in his stomach. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"Don't worry…"

"-embarrass you….."

"Don't worry..." Judy said firmly, grabbing his paw. They looked into each other's eyes, and both smiled. "I'd have probably made the same goof up," she said, before looking over at Skye. "It seems you're the one with the gist of everything."

The vixen also looked a bit flushed, but it was calming down, and she looked at Nick curiously before shrugging. "I guess," she said, before looking down at Jack. She'd been gently petting him throughout. "What do you make of all this?"

He blinked a few times before glancing up at her, a sudden smile growing on his face and a spark lighting in his eyes. "Man, I don't even have an opinion."

Skye shrugged. "Oh, okay then. I guess you just don't embarrass easily."

Jack was left slack jawed, then disappointed, then confused as Skye looked over to Nick. She gazed at him for a second or two, her head cocking slightly, before she took a deep breath in. "You know… Back before, you used to be the most unapologetic mammal I knew," she said. "Yet, just then…"

A serious expression grew on his face and he nodded. "Let's just say that Judy here set me on the right path," he said, looking down at her. "So much so she's had to help me from going too far the other way."

"Jack told me about that one," she said, looking down at him. "And the more I hear, the more it does seem that you have changed…"

Nick nodded and then smirked. "Couldn't have done it without some help from a special bunny."

"Well, two special bunnies," Judy pointed out, jabbing Jack in the side a little.

"He does seem like a cool dude," the striped buck added.

Skye looked at all of them and took a deep breath in, before looking at Nick. "I think we can both agree that I didn't like the old you," she said.

"No you did not," Nick agreed, before looking at her solemnly. "And I promise, he's gone. No mischief of untrustworthiness coming from this fox. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Ranger scouts honour."

"Promise?" she asked.

"Promise," he said, as she smiled a little.

"Given all I've heard, I think that I should give the new you a chance. I think I'd like to meet him."

Nick looked back at her, silent for a second or two, before he nodded. "You know what, I quite like the sound of that."

"Yeah!" Judy added happily, jumping up and looking between the pair. "We could all go out together or something."

Skye nodded. "You know, Jack and I have some friends who really want to meet you two. Maybe we could organise a get together?"

"I guess I can try and chip in too," Jack added, sitting up. "Do a fair share."

Judy nodded, before smirking and looking at Skye. "I think I need time to work out what you've done to the old Jack too."

"Judy," he pointed out, going a bit aloof. "I'll have you know that Skye was merely the catalyst for this change, and most of the work is at my own paw."

"Yup," Nick agreed. "That's why it's only change lite."

"And that was a conscious decision in order to stop going all overboard like you did," the striped bunny carried on.

"Touche," Nick agreed.

Judy was about to add something when her ears stuck up, hearing something off in the distance. It was the sound of a fork on a glass.

"Guys," Jack said, cutting her off. "I think we need to go inside." He paused and turned to Skye. "Need a paw?"

She nodded and he helped her up, while Nick and Judy got up by themselves. Together, they joined the crowd in the main lounge, filtering to the front. Before them, sitting on her chair, was Felicity, her husband and son by her side. Mr Fox had the glass and fork in his paw and, checking everyone was there, he cleared his throat.

"Baby shower," he announced, pondering slightly. "A slightly unusual concept, if taken literally, or a potential yet to be invented device that might become a future staple of such events. Giving a baby shower at a baby shower, it has the potential to be a fun novelty if anything, up there with current classics such as model cakes comprised of disposable mammalian waste absorbing undergarments. In any case, the term, when researched, is based on the concept of showering the expectant mother to be with gifts and well wishes. That, or it's an extension of the 'bridal shower', itself named for the custom of slipping gifts inside a parasol which is then opened above the lucky lady." He paused, looking over to his wife and smiling, before slipping his paw behind the chair she was in and pulling out a little fabric sunshade. "As such, may we?"

Felicity, looking on a bit surprised at it, smiled. "They say that opening this inside is bad luck," she pointed out.

"Which is why I purchased you a parasol, fabric covered and therefor not waterproof, in doing so not meeting the dictionary definition of an umbrella." He gave her a wink, let out two short whistles and then clicked his tongue twice.

"You really are 'quote-unquote' fantastic, Mr Fox," she said, looking at him in the way only a lover would, before she pulled up the parasol and opened it. Both glitter and cards showered on her, and she seemed to glow as it came down. Mr Fox turned and gave a bow to the clapping audience.

"Whatever the source of the custom's name, it is a celebration of new life," he said, looking around the room. "A new arrival on our planet, just like all of us bar one once was. Of course, for that one, it'll be an upcoming and exciting day, and once that everyone is looking forward to."

He looked at his wife, whose paw was on her bump, soon joined by his. Mr Fox looked on proudly, only to pause, a concerned look on his face. "You know," he said, "I think the kit would enjoy having his big brother here too."

Ash's eyes widened. He'd been standing to the side, as if he expected not to be a part of this, but when called he walked over, cautiously putting his paw on his mother's bump. The unsure look on his face morphed into a very sure look as he did so and, looking up, his eyes met those of his father.

Standing up again, Mr Fox turned to the crowd. "I don't know who this new mammal is going to be, but I'm looking forward to meeting him…"

"-Or her," Ash pointed out.

"Or her. But I will tell you this. We'll be starting to learn soon enough, and it'll be a fantastic day when we can." He turned, and put a paw on Ash's shoulder, taking the younger fox by surprise. "I already had the privilege of meeting one fantastic Kit this way, who I can't be more proud of. Indeed, I have it on good authority that you've finished your comic with your cousin, isn't that right?"

"Y-Yeah," Ash stammered out, and as a round of claps and cheers rang out he looked like he was stunned with joy. In the crowd, Nick couldn't help but give him a wink and a thumbs up.

"Anything to say," Mrs Fox said, smiling as she leant forwards, holding one of his paws.

The kit nodded intently. "Y-y-yeah… I… I…" He paused, took a deep breath in to compose himself, and then scanned around, his eyes resting on a mammal standing next to the present pile. "Kris did half the work too."

It was the silver fox's turn to take the applause, which he did graciously. Mr Fox, looking on, clapped hard before pausing slightly, an odd look on his muzzle. Clearing his throat, he carried on talking. "In any case, our family, my wife especially, is about to reembark on a hard but rewarding path. It's great to see so many of you here, with an ample supply of gifts. Now, will they snap away any colic and gives us restful nights? The likely answer is no. But I'm certain that we can take solace and happiness in what you've provided us with." He paused, looking around, before his eyes focused on William Silverfox. He'd been standing at the other side of the room to his son. "We happen to have with us today the uncle of this new child, who I believe has a very special gift for us. You have it on you, correct?"

"Well, it's in the pile," he began.

"Fair enough," Mr Fox said quickly. "And being such a fine gift, how about we save it until last? A final high note, upon which to end these festivities."

"That sounds good," he replied.

Mr Fox nodded, before scanning around, spotting Nick. "How about the ZPD's own Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps to begin with."

Looking to Judy and winking, they made their way to the pile and picked up their presents, taking them over. Mrs Fox looked on and smiled at them, gasping at the size of the bunny's contribution.

"Are all bunnies like this?" she asked.

"Not all of them," Nick joked, before looking over his shoulder. "What did you bring, Jack?"

"A thing," he said, shrugging as he went and picked up his present, a wrapped box. Mrs Fox looked at him curiously.

"I think you're a stranger."

"I think the correct term is 'a friend of a friend'," he pointed out, dropping his singular box down. "I just wanted to help."

"Well, the kindness of strangers is well documented," she mused, before reaching over and opening Judy's box. She gasped as she took in all the clothes and books, while the sight of all the stuffed toys made her shiver up, her ears trembling. "All these," she whispered, "for my little Kit."

"My family was happy to help out," Judy said proudly, before being taken into a hug by Mrs Fox.

"Your family has my many thanks," she whispered, before letting her go. "I'm… I'm sorry, I'm a bit emotional now," she said, patting her stomach. "She's…"

"-Or he's," Ash pointed out.

"Working me all up inside," Mrs Fox carried on, before leaning over and filtering through all the stuffed bunnies. "But when he or she is sleeping, he'll have all these friends to keep him warm, and…" She suddenly cut herself off, before pulling out a stuffed fox in a green shirt and tie, her gaze moving over to a smirking Nick.

"If it was my husband and I who did this, I'd know who's to blame," Felicity said, a bit of sass in her voice. "And not just because I know I wasn't."

"Would you believe me if I said I had no part in this," Nick defended.

"I think not," she said, smiling as she shook her head.

"What about if I said it, Felicity?" Judy said, the older vixen taking the news with a hint of surprise.

"Well, I think I would then," she said, smiling. "Thanks a lot, for all of this."

"You're welcome," Judy said, as Nick stepped up.

Felicity took his present and opened it, her eyes widening as she unwrapped a set of small chew toys. A salmon, a dory, a clownfish and a swordfish. There were also two clip attachments and some rubber bell things.

"May I?" Nick asked.

"You may."

He cleared his throat, before giving his own speech. "What does every little fox kit want? An escape to his little wild side, something fun and interactive to chew on, something to take away the pain of teething. A something designed for him. A something called 'the super chew set deluxe'. Okay, these are some freezer friendly chew toys that can hold the cold for hours, providing maximum teething relief while still being squeaky." He squeezed one, a loud squeak coming out, to prove his point. "Now, you say you can't stop a baby putting muck in his mouth, well I say you can." He screwed one of the plastic bell things on and over one of the toys, covering it. He showed how it could be rolled back, letting the kit chew the toy, but would snap back to position after. "Bam. There it is, instant anti germ action. Now, it comes with various clips to attach it to clothing, a three-year guarantee, and is recommended by the Zootopia dental association over pacifiers for aiding in proper palate and tooth growth for little preds. Now, I think this is a perfect little gift for our new foxy. Do you think it's the perfect little gift for our new little foxy?"

"With a sales pitch like that I could hardly say no, could I," she said, holding them up and stroking one. "It's certainly got all the bells and whistles. Thanks so much."

"You're welcome," Nick said, before backing off. He looked on curiously as Jack presented his gift. Carefully, Mrs Fox unwrapped it, before pausing at what she saw.

"It's a box."

Jack held himself up tall. "I think you'll find it's an official 'baby box', designed with foxes in mind."

Mrs Fox looked at him curiously, before taking the lid off, gasping at what she saw inside. "It's… it's… it's fantastic," she whispered. There were all sorts of supplies in there, including a basic mix of clothing, some medical stuff, a few books, toys, a blanket and some changing supplies. She held up the soft blanket first, decorated with a forest scene full of autumnal trees, evergreens, pinecones, flowers and birds, the odd river running through. It was fluffy and warm, and the vixen couldn't help but massage it with her pads. "This is wonderful," she whispered, before putting it down. Most of the other things had the same forest motif. There were clothes, some with a cartoon fox mascot on it in forest ranger gear, or little fox kits out and playing. She was smitten with all of them.

She moved over to the changing supplies, pausing as she held the plain cloth diapers, reading the description with an unconvinced look on her muzzle. "A two-part system for saving money and preventing leaks. Both the cloth diapers and the waterproof covers, usable with disposables too, use pull cords on the legs, waist and tail holes to ensure a safe and secure fit…" She put it down and shrugged, placing the white cloths to the side. "Well, always good to have an emergency reserve, I guess…" she mused, before pausing as she saw the covers. Each one was unique, and had the same mix of cartoon foxes or forest scenes, and even a few with an archery theme. The same smitten look the blanket and clothes had given her washed over her face and she smiled, turning down to her bump. "Though you'll look adorable in these," she said. "And I'm pretty sure they'll offer very good blowout protection. We can't have you messing all these pretty things, can we?"

Judy nodded, before nudging up to Jack. "Old family technique?"

He looked at her, confused. "I don't know," he said with a shrug. "I just got a thing to cover all the bases."

Whatever Judy was about to say was cut off by a squee from Felicity, the vixen reaching into the box and sniffing slightly. "It's the one from the…" she began, before cutting herself off. "I think I've just found my baby's favorite toy," she said, as she pulled out a large plush. It was made out of the same material that the blanket was, but it had been made into an adorable toy hyena, dressed in a black jacket over a red and black striped shirt. "He even has the three little snaggle teeth."

"Aaaah," Nick cooed. "You found one of those," he said, turning to Jack.

…

"Jack?"

The bunny, looking like his brain had crashed, looked up to Nick. "I just left the 'stuffed species' selection button on 'random'…" he said, before looking over to see an equally confused Skye. She shrugged her shoulders back, and Jack looked over to see Mrs Fox rubbing the toy against the sides of her head, marking it vigorously. "There, there… You'll keep all my kits safe, won't you Mr…" She paused, trying to remember the name.

"Haida the hyena," Ash spoke up, smiling as he leant over and fiddled with its tail.

Jack bit his lower lip hard and looked behind him. Skye's head being tilted close to ninety degrees was to be expected; the slight tilt on Kris's head was an added bonus. Regardless, his train wreck of confusion was broken off as Felicity called his name.

"Jack, wasn't it?"

"Uh, yes… About the plush…"

"It's gorgeous," she said, sniffing a little. She cradled it into one arm, while waving him over, bringing him into a hug.

"This is nice," he noted.

"Thanks," she said, looking at him and giving him a kiss on the forehead. "This was ever so generous, especially from a stranger. You're Skye's boyfriend, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Well," she said, smiling. "She picked a very thoughtful and kind bunny."

He let go, and the three of them walked back to Skye. Nick and Judy were happy, Jack was beginning to tremble with glee, while the swift fox was giving them a look akin to the one Nick gave when Mr. Big befriended Judy. "Um. That doll…" she began.

Jack cut her off, looking like a kit on a sugar rush. "That was amazing… What have I been missing, Skye? What have I been missing all those times I didn't go the extra mile… Oh god, there's so many other things outside of acting…"

"Calm down there, Jack," Judy warned.

"-This is what you feel, isn't it?" he asked, turning to her.

"Guys, about that plushie…" Skye began, nervously.

Nick turned to the vixen, confused. "What about it? I've seen ones like it before."

"_-All those times when you talked about wanting to be a cop, making the world a better place_…"

Skye looked on, confused, while her boyfriend kept on gushing to Nick's girlfriend.

"-Jack, I need your help," she said, cutting him off.

"Of course!" he agreed, snapping to attention. "Where, what, how…?"

Nick backed off a bit, giving Judy a sly look. This would be fun to watch. He was broken off though by a tap on his shoulder, and he turned around to see an opossum standing there.

"Nick Wilde?" he asked.

"The one and only."

He nodded. "Foxy wants a quick word about you about something important. Mind coming with me?"

Nick nodded, before letting himself get led off. He walked down the stairs into the kitchen, before going through a room at the back of the house and into the earth. He knew the place had some extensive basements, but he was curious as to where he'd be going.

"In there, sit down," the opossum said, as Nick was led into a pitch-black room. His night vision managed to make out a chair though, and he sat himself down.

…

"Um… Hello?"

There was a flash of light as a desk lamp was turned on, Nick blinking from the glare, and, as his vision recovered, he realized that he was inside Mr Fox's office. Mr Fox, sitting in his own chair, a desk tray with a microphone of all things on top of it, was right in front of him.

"Let me just…" he began, tapping the microphone, the reverbing sound coming out of some speakers somewhere. "Testing, testing…"

Nick looked nervously from side to side. "What the…"

"Ahem," Mr Fox announced, looking towards Nick, his paws going palm against palm and the fingers meshing with each other. "Before we begin, let me start with a simple hook in order to get across the seriousness of this situation, and ensure that you'll be craving everything I say after. Nicholas Wilde, this baby shower is spiraling towards complete disaster, and only you can help me save it."

.

.

* * *

**AN: Major kudos to my proofer Dancou Maryuu for coming up with the name 'Foxes and Friends', after I could only come up with the working title 'The Baby Shower Job'.**


	38. Foxes and Friends 2

**Chapter 2:**

**.**

.

"Nicholas Wilde, this baby shower is spiraling towards complete disaster, and only you can help me save it."

…

"I repeat," Mr Fox announced, hunkering low over his microphone. "Only you can…"

"-You know, I did hear you the first time," Nick interrupted.

"Potentially, yes," Mr Fox pondered. "Though with the length of the pause in between…"

"_Pfff_… It wasn't that long," the fox cop defended.

"Well, it wasn't a dramatic pause…"

…

"-That was a dramatic pause. Anyway, your pause might have felt long to some people, though maybe not to others. Maybe to some it felt like five minutes, maybe to some like a week and a bit."

"-I don't feel like I went to sleep and suffered through seven long mornings," Nick replied, finding his voice. He shook his head, clearing his mind, before speaking it. "It's just that this feels a bit overblown and dramatic; you know…" He crossed his arms, and leaned forwards a bit. "-I mean, if you have a little thing that needs fixing, most mammals who are not compensating for something tend to go for a little tap on the shoulder."

Mr Fox paused, looking back over at Nick. "I'll ignore your potential slight on the bushiness of my tail and get straight to business," he said. "It seems that my dramatic flair hasn't convinced you already of the danger we're facing, so we'll have to montage."

"Mon…" Nick began, before Mr Fox leant forwards, grabbed his chair, and swiveled them both around to face his desk. On it was a section drawing of the house, showing each and every room, many filled with markers that had been labelled with names. On the board in front of them were a variety of pinned pictures, string and noting paper ready to turn it into a fully-fledged conspiracy board. At the very centre was a sheet with four big letters drawn on it.

_Dr Silverfox's present_.

_MISSING!_

.

_Time seemed to rewind, back to when the fox in question had arrived. Leaving his son outside with his cousin, he walked in with Nick and Judy, holding his gift against his heart with his arm. They were immediately greeted by Mr Fox_.

"I was first made aware of him carrying the gift, and gained a good view of it, on his arrival. His posture and possessive nature seemed to show that it was something of value, something he confirmed as he spoke up about it in a very high-level tone."

"_Congratulations, again," he said._

"_Certainly appreciated," Mr Fox smirked, before glancing over at his wife. "As it will be by her."_

"_Indeed," the Doctor agreed, jostling his gift up against himself. "Tonight should be a wonderful night for her."_

"Of course, this was then confirmed by a conversation I overheard from afar."

"_My gift is very much related to her too," he said, trailing off a little. "As I said, something very dear, and very precious."_

_Nick nodded in agreement while, from afar, Mr Fox spotted the gift safely nestled in the pile._

"My wife took the loss of her sister very hard," he carried on narrating. "She'd swing between holding on dearly to her own young son and staring out into the black expanse of the night, contemplating the meaning and existentially nihilistic nature of our sentient mammalian condition…"

_Mr Fox walked out of his house, making his way towards a small grassy knoll. It was late at night, even the lights of the city being repulsed by the cover of darkness, and the Todd looked upon the hunched up figure of his wife. Curled up in nothing but her thin white nightie, her son, dressed in a paw-pad covered footed sleeper, was fast asleep in her chest. She slowly pet him while staring up into the inky void._

"_Need any help, comfort…"_

"_-Strawberries," she sobbed._

"_Okay then, strawberries it is…"_

"_-She adored them… -she once ate three punnets and was sick all over me…" She broke down into tears and lunged forwards, holding Mr Fox tight. "She's… She's gone!" she wailed, as he held her back._

"Therefore, this gift would have a high value to her, in effect being the keystone to this entire night," Mr Fox continued. "And then, fatefully, I noticed that there had been, quote-unquote… **-a Larceny!**"

_It was the silver fox's turn to take the applause, which he did graciously. As Kris bowed, Mr Fox looked over to him, before flicking to the gift pile next to him. He paused, noticing that the present he'd seen getting put down there was now gone._

"Of course, some quick confirming was then in order."

_His eyes focused on William Silverfox, who'd been standing at the other side of the room to his son. "We happen to have with us today the uncle of this new child, who I believe has a very special gift for us. You have it on you, correct?"_

"_Well, it's in the pile," he began._

"_Fair enough," Mr Fox said quickly, buying himself some further time. "And being such a fine gift, how about we save it until last. A final high note, upon which to end these festivities."_

"And then one final emergency check."

_As Nick, Judy and Jack presented their presents, Mr Fox wandered over to the gift pile and scanned through it, seeing no evidence of the critical gift. His eyes narrowed and he glanced around the room before he located Kylie. He walked up to him, tapped his shoulder, and whispered in his ear. "Down to the office. We have to do a thing."_

"_A thing? You mean a thing, thing?"_

"_That's right. A THING."_

"And so," Mr Fox carried on, back in the present. "We have our situation. One important gift: taken. A variety of suspects: milling about, all with potential motives and reasons. I alone can't do this task, but I have the utmost trust in your abilities to help out. Together, we need to locate this gift and return it to the pile tonight in order to save this baby shower!"

…

"Right," Nick agreed, "Gotcha. You know, this only seems a little insane and overcompensating now. Well done, ten-out-of-ten on presentation by the way." He paused, before smiling. "You've done this kind of thing before, haven't you?"

"In my more wild and youthful days, certainly. High stakes planning for high stakes action."

"Only, oopsie, you're married and have a family, so now the scale of this stuff has gone just a biiiittt…. Downhill. Again, a tap on the shoulder and a quick request would have done the job."

"Well, there's doing the job and then there's _doing the job_," Mr Fox enthused, gesturing to everything. "Sure, I could have simply asked you to help out, but that might not fully sell you on the seriousness of the situation."

"Oh, don't you worry, you've sold me on something," Nick replied, smirking.

"And likewise, I could just take the expected, '_sensible_', option and inform everyone and have everyone search for it. But that would mean facing a derailed party, informing everyone of the incident, while potentially causing emotional harm to those invested in the gift. In particular, one currently facing immense emotional instability. On the other paw, doing this on the sly in a highly planned and well executed operation could set things right with nobody knowing."

"So, to sum up, you want me to help you on an undercover investigation to find our gift thief, keeping everything secret until we locate the missing present."

"As sum ups go, that's certainly a cussing good one," Mr Fox agreed, turning around and grabbing Nick's paws, looking him in the eyes. "Nicholas Wilde. As I said before, the only other mammal I know with the right level of cunning, slyness and, as the younger generations know it, quote-unquote 'pizzaz', to pull this off is you. So, Nicholas Wilde, are! You! IN!?"

"I…" Nick began, his mouth trembling slightly. He paused for a second or two before sighing, his ears folding down. "Nope. I'm sorry, but I'm out."

Mr Fox cleared his throat a little, before pushing on, even bringing in the paw gestures. "Let me reiterate, you are the only one I judge to have the right skills to pull this off. I repeat, I can't do this without you!"

"Yes, I get that," Nick sighed, shaking his head a little as he rubbed it with his paw. "But here's the thing. I used to be sneaky and sly and all that and, back then, maybe I'd have been happy to help you out. Though, at the same time, I don't think I'd have really been good enough to be your friend, but that's a different story… -Anyway, that kind of thing is what I've been trying to get away from, to leave behind, and while you seem happy to revel in your past self, I'm not. I'd be more than happy to help if you make the search official, have everyone doing a look around and getting this all sorted quickly, I promise. But sneaking around and doing stuff to friends and family behind their backs? I'm sorry, but I have to say no."

…

"Very well then," Mr Fox cordially agreed, "it was very good not doing business with you."

Despite feeling down, Nick couldn't help but smile, a glint of fun in his eyes. "It's called a not-hustle, Foxy," he said, as he stood up and walked out.

"Not-Hustle…" Mr Fox pondered. "I like that term…" He paused, and looked up at Nick. "No hard feelings if you keep this a secret."

"That I can do" Nick agreed as he left, passing Kylie on the way out.

…

"Well," he noted, walking back up the stairs to the lounge. "That was something…"

Entering in, he found a place to settle down and work out everything that had just happened. He couldn't help but let his gaze linger on the present pile as he did so and, yup, the gift in question was gone. Sauntering up for a closer look, he couldn't find it anywhere. So, Mr Fox was right, but Nick still couldn't agree with his plan of action. His days as a hustler had taught him that the simplest plans were often the best ones, and doing all that secret stuff would just be inviting trouble.

He expected Mr Fox to come up and start asking around publicly sooner than later.

In the meantime, he could keep an eye out and enjoy the party. Looking over, he saw Skye moving up to Mrs Fox with two gifts. He didn't know how exactly the vixen knew the family, but this could be a way to learn.

"And these are from me," she said, as she handed over her presents. Mrs Fox opened the first one and smiled as she brought out a pretty dream catcher mobile. "My mother said that it's supposed to keep bad dreams and the Thunderbird away," Skye explained.

"Thank you," Felicity replied, before turning to the other gift; opening it up before humming slightly, intrigued as she pulled out an old-style polaroid camera.

"Complete with plenty of film supplies, it'll let you easily assemble a physical album with all your kit's pictures in it."

Mrs Fox smiled. "I had one of these which I used when Ash was young, but I lost it ages ago. Thanks so much."

"You're welcome," she said, as Jack wandered up next to her. He looked excited.

"Idea!"

Nick couldn't help himself. "No, it's a camera."

Jack glanced at him and smirked, before gesturing to Mrs Fox's camera. Handing it over, the jackrabbit stepped back and took a picture, smiling as he saw the little picture print out. "A before picture!"

"Thanks again," she said smiling, taking them back. Skye gave Jack a proud look, before she handed over another gift.

"This is Sweetie's," she explained, as Mrs Fox looked pulled out a golden ring. "It's supposed to be a Korean tradition, the child can use it to pay for their education later."

The pregnant vixen nodded as Kris and his father meandered over. "Who's Sweetie?" the younger fox asked.

Mrs Fox looked over at her nephew and smiled. "She's my friend and Skye's sister," she explained, before sighing. "Remember the story I told you, about why I left the Rangers?"

"Someone you trained with was picked off by an eagle, wasn't he?"

Felicity nodded slowly and sadly, looking away as she did so. "Yes, Sweetie was his partner. She… -She tried to find his body, but all they ever got was an eye. We met at the funeral and became friends…" There was a pause, then a slight huff. "You know, I still think about poor Bright Eyes even now."

The somber mood carried through the room, only broken off as Dr Silverfox stepped forwards. "Bright Eyes?"

"It was his nickname," she explained.

The silver fox nodded. "Was his name Hyhayuhl, by any chance?"

Felicity looked up, a shocked look on her face. "How did you…"

"He was a hare, or rather an Efrafan hare, wasn't he?" he continued, as she nodded. "Hyhayuhl translates to bright eyes, or thereabouts. When I was a student doing my research into their culture and history in Cappadocia and Greater Armyeenia, it was one of the most common names you'd stumble across."

"So, you're a doctor of archeology?" Skye asked.

"Well, languages and linguistics," he explained, smiling contently as he thought back. "Back then, I was part of a team investigating a temple complex called Nildelienes, buried in the foothills of Mt Ararat itself. The iron curtain had finally fallen, and we could travel to Armyeenia to look at the site, finally giving it the care that it deserved."

"What had happened to it before?" Kris asked, curiously.

"Despite having a strong connection to Efrafa, their people despised it. They'd tried to destroy and bury it when they could, succeeding after the repulse of Gabrielli the Thunderer's Cossack invaders by the war hero Thlayli. The Efrafans say that it was built by death worshipers. It venerates 'Kehaar', their version of the devil, so I can't really fault them there. Centuries later the Tsar's forces made an entranceway to it, thinking it might be Noah's Ark, and when it wasn't they took most of the precious valuables before sealing it again. We were the first to try and fully catalogue everything, and they needed me as it seemed to have its own language. It turned out to be Efrafan in a different script though." There was a pause, and then a chuckle. "It turned out that 'Bright Eyes' was the secret to unlocking it all."

"How come?" Felicity asked.

"Well, the name comes from a popular and ancient Efrafan folk song. It's a mother's lament about her strong son going off to war, called by visions, and how he, whose bright eyes, which once burned brightly, could just fade and die." He paused, and cleared his throat slightly, before singing out.

"_Is it a kind of dream, floating down on the tide,_

_Following the river of death downstream,_

_Ohhh-oh, is it a dream?_

_There's a fog on the horizon,_

_A strange glow in the sky,_

_And nobody seems to know where it goes,_

_Or what does it mean…_

_Ohhh-oh, is it a dream?"_

He stopped, shrugging. "I'm afraid my translation doesn't quite live up to the original. Anyhow, the most common prayer in Nildelienes turned out to be a straight up translation, albeit with a few very small tweaks to the chorus. Instead of: _Bright eyes, how can you close and fail?_ it's: _Bright eyes, you shall never close and fail_. Then, instead of _How can the light that burned so brightly, suddenly burn so pale, _they swapped the suddenly for 'furiously' and the pale for a word we don't have in English, but it means 'corpse pale' or 'deathly pale'. It changes the whole meaning of the song, making it a hymn to Kehaar and death… Regardless, once I worked that out, it was very easy to translate everything else."

Nick walked forwards, smiling. "That's certainly interesting. Any other stories and such from back then?"

William paused, thinking. "Oh, plenty… -Though, I think the favorite one is what I did with my English translation of the original 'Bright eyes' about ten years later." He paused, turning to Felicity and smiling. "I'd translated it and worked out how to play it on my guitar, and we were back in Canidea on this big ski trip organized by the department. We were in the lodge, it was a loud night with everyone else drinking and laughing and I just felt a little overwhelmed. There was some Karaoke going on, most mammals belting out Bryan A'Dams or such, and I'd made the mistake of not letting go of my guitar. So, soon enough, I was egged on to the stage and I was up there, with no idea what exactly to sing out as this seemed to definitely be an electric crowd, not acoustic. But… -Well, I don't know why, but I sung out my translation of 'Bright Eyes', and by the end I think you could hear a pin drop. Then everyone was clapping and, as I knew 'Who by Fire' and 'Wish You Were Here', I did those too. Then, off I went, feeling a bit flustered. I was sat outside, in the snow, getting cold and just trying to recover from _that_ when I felt someone slip a ski jacket onto me." He paused, sighing a little, before gently holding Felicity's paw. "She stammered out, half gushed praise at my singing and half scolding me for being out in the cold, and she managed to take me back inside… And that was how I met your sister."

The vixen choked up a little. "I remember her calling after. She'd always been a very female-leaning Bi before, but she was gushing over _this_ todd that she'd just met and his voice, and about whether she loved him or not…"

"She did," Dr Silverfox said, his voice full of melancholy. "She always liked it when I sung to her… -Kris did too!"

"I remember that," the younger fox said, smiling.

"Yeah, but 'Bright Eyes' never was your favorite," he said, chuckling a little. "There was always one song that would cheer you and make you laugh, and I had to stop singing it or playing the CD at night because you'd just be bouncing up and down to it."

Kris nodded. "I only remember it roughly," he said. "Haven't heard it for years."

By the time he realized his terrible mistake, it was already far too late, as Dr Silverfox began singing.

"_Where the road runs down by the butternut grove, to old Bill Skinner's stream. _

_Do tell at the noonday bell it's time for a summertime dream." _

He smiled, before leaning in and cradling Kris's muzzle with his finger.

"_In a lunch pail town in a one-horse way, you can live like a king or queen._

_Let's steal away in the noonday sun, it's time for a summertime dream."_

Kris looked around, his ears folding back, and a hint of redness in them growing stronger.

"_Birds in all creation will be twitterin' in the trees, and down below's a pond I know, you can swim in it if you please. _

_And if you come 'round when the mill shuts down, you can see what chivalry means. _

_Let's steal away in the noonday sun, it's time for a summertime dream."_

He broke off and laughed, looking at the flustered look on his son. "You know, I didn't think you were one to get embarrassed."

"Uhhh," he began to reply, just as Ash turned up, looking at William.

"You did that? To him? That's possible?" he asked, not quite believing it himself.

Kris broke down into a little guffaw, walking forwards to hug his father. "I remember it now," he said, a happy mood in his voice. A mood shared by all, until a soft sniff broke through. Everyone turned, looking at Mrs Fox.

"Mom?" Ash asked, walking forwards, as she tried to wipe away a tear.

"Y-You were too young," she said, looking at him. "But she… Roz… She sung that over the phone to me once… We were sharing lullabies, and… and…" She never finished her sentence, breaking off as the tears began flowing. Whimpering and sobbing, she bent over, cradling her bump. "You… you… you'll never know her…" she cried. "Your… your spunky Auntie, you'll… You'll never hear her laugh, or… or… play with her, or…"

Ash went to her side, as did Kris and Skye, who asked Jack to help steadier her as she dropped both crutches, letting her put both paws on the distraught vixen. However, it was her brother-in-law that that got through to her.

"There, there," he said. "I miss her too. But whoever is in there will get to know Auntie Rozie, I promise."

"You… You do?"

"Yes," he replied, smiling. "I've got just the gift to help with that."

"Y-you do?" she asked.

"Well, I'd be like you are now if I didn't… Well, I wouldn't know what I'd do," he said, laughing a bit. "But I do have something precious, I promise…"

The scene went quiet, as everyone looked on.

Including Nick.

He looked away, ears folding back, and rubbed his foot paw onto the floor. A wave of conflicting feelings and emotions ran through him, before he sighed, silently dismissing himself. Down into the stairway he went, walking through the kitchen and into the back rooms and basements, before opening the door to Mr Fox's study. "Right. I'll do it!"

"-I repeat, I can't do this without you!"

Everyone froze, as Nick looked on to see Mr Fox, in chair with microphone, giving his opossum friend the low down.

"-And you too," he carried on, greeting Nick and waving him in. "Nick Wilde, Kylie O'Possum. Kylie O'Possum, Nick Wilde."

"You know," the fox cop warned. "This is already looking more and more like the kind of British comedy where we just dig ourselves a deeper and deeper hole and end up humiliating ourselves."

"Well, I've been thoroughly Americanized so I can proudly confirm that we'll still come out on top," Mr Fox replied. "Anyway, you in?"

"Before I regret it, yes." Nick said, grabbing a seat and sitting next to Mr Fox. He gave a brief glance to Kylie as well, noting that the marsupial wore a beige fisherman's hat with a few hooks and lures attached, a white shirt mostly covered by a beige fisherman's vest with large outside pockets and a matching pair of shorts.

"Very well," Foxy began. "First step, we each pick two potential suspects and interview them, trying to figure out if they're up to something."

"Sounds fair," Nick replied. "So, who are they and what are their profiles?"

Mr Fox snapped his fingers, before winking. "Montage time!"

.

.

"Suspect one. Badger Badgerson," Mr Fox announced, a picture of a grumpy badger in a green woolen suit, white shirt and salmon tie getting pinned up to the wall.

"What's the MO?" Nick asked.

"He's my lawyer, and…"

"-Yeah, that'll do it. Next."

.

.

"Suspect two, our mysterious visitor: Jack Savage." A picture of the striped buck in a blue shirt and tan shorts went up on the wall.

"Yeaaaahhhhhnnoooooo," Nick countered, shaking his head. "How much do you know him?"

"Well, from our brief encounter it's clear that he's a thespian with a flair for showing off, and one who can get quite competitive when the time arises."

"Which is odd," the fox cop pointed out. "From what I've known of him, he's a theatre-lover and performer, but other than that he's a lazy bone, a messy slob, and a mammal who's trying to change that and do good. Why would he steal this gift?"

"Well, what is the gift?" Mr Fox asked.

"Something to do with your late sister-in-law," Nick pondered. "-Might have something to do with Efrafan culture or something, I don't…" He trailed off a bit, his eyes widening as he walked over to the board, closing them again and beating out his finger to the tune of his thoughts. "Some ancient script? A collection of stuff? He's a Tehuantepec Jackrabbit, which might have a relation to Efrafans, I don't know…"

"Kylie," Mr Fox announced, before looking down at the opossum. "Zoogle geographic positions of Tehuantepecs, Efrafans, their relations to each other and any long-lost tomes that might be present."

He nodded, before pausing. "I know you said Zoogle, but I prefer Zing… Is Zinging it okay?"

"You can Zong it for all I care," Mr Fox added, before turning back to Nick. "What was that about trying to do good?"

"He's trying to improve himself, get less lazy and such. It's why he came and gave your wife a baby box."

"Hmmm…" Mr Fox pondered. "Could he be taking the book only to give it back later? Some long-winded plot to make an even happier ending, but building up tension before-paw I wonder."

"Whatever you're thinking, he won't be thinking it," Nick countered. "Him doing this as part of some experimental field improv is more likely. And that was sarcasm, by the way."

"But there's still a chance," Mr Fox returned, as Kylie finished.

"Efrafans are a warrior culture of otherwise normal Eurasian hares from Pawasia Minor. Tehuantepec Jackrabbits are an endangered species of lagomorphs from a small Isthmus on the pacific coast of Mexicat, a place with no notable Efrafan communities."

"So, unlikely," Foxy continued. "Though a slim chance is still a chance, so I'd class him as a wildcard."

"Yup," Nick admitted. "Might as well see if we can clear him, even though I can't see him doing this. Next!"

.

.

Mr Fox pinned the picture of the scruffy red fox kit, in this case still dressed in his unusual 'white pj's with a cape and the trousers tucked into socks' combo, to the wall, before turning to see Nick looking at him, his eyelids half lidded.

"That's cold."

"Just keeping all options open," he defended, before pulling out another photograph and placing it alongside Ash's. "In any case, no favoritism, they're both there." He pointed at the picture of Kris, in the usual dusty blue button up shirt and tan shorts combo that he was wearing tonight, and gave a double whistle, two tongue clicks and a wink.

"Well," Nick said with a sigh. "I suppose both of them could be trying to do the 'increased yield' hustle you thought Jack might be up to."

"See," Mr Fox said, nodding. "And, though both seemed to have patched everything up, there might still be a bit of inter-cousin rivalry going on."

"Ash seemed too concerned about his mother to try and steal the gift. Besides, why not go for Kris' gift, unless… -Unless he wants to find the book later to be seen as the hero."

Mr Fox nodded. "Though he's already given up the full limelight, sharing some with Kris when it was due."

Nick smirked, looking at Foxy. "My, my… Acknowledging your boy. I'm proud of you, great progress!"

"Fantastic, if you will," Mr Fox said, scanning over the pictures. "But he might see this as a 'nobody loses thing', I don't know. As for Kris, maybe it's some attempt to frame Ash, and let me just stop you right there, Nick. I know it's super unlikely for both of them, given their ultimately very high moral fiber. I'm simply following the same 'don't rule it out' principle that we, primarily I, have previously established."

"Yeah, okay," Nick replied, nodding his head a little. "Anyway, who's next?"

.

.

A sandy colored swift fox vixen, in a dusty red t-shirt with black bands on the sleeves and camo cargo pants down below, went up onto the board. "Skye Autumn."

"Well, if it weren't for the fact that I've seen really dodgy mammals hiding behind a helpful and ditzy veneer, I'd completely dismiss Miss High-and-mighty," Nick replied. "But, as it is, she might have a secret dark side that none of us know about."

"Yes," Mr Fox said, pondering. "So the perfect reason to list her as a subject then."

Nick blinked a bit. "You know, my job does take me places and might give me ideas above my station," he said, walking over. "But you can't really put someone up there without having evidence linking them, or a motive. With Skye, from you at least, nil-pwa!'"

"And from you?" Foxy countered, a smirk growing on his muzzle.

Nick sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay. Besides doing the same 'be the hero' hustle, there is a _potential_ strong motive here which I can think of. Skye's sister was a ranger. Her partner was 'Bright Eyes', an Efrafan Hare who was killed by an eagle. Said sister then met your wife at the funeral. Maybe she knew of something or other that was taken from him, or his family, or his people, and ended up in William's paws? I don't know how, I'm not sure how she'd know. Maybe she just suspects that it's something related, but asked Skye to take it regardless. Maybe not to steal, just to check, and then steal if it is the thing…"

Mr Fox looked on proud. "Nick Wilde, that is some pure A-grade motive analysis. You are a great cop."

"I… -Thanks, I guess," he replied, before looking back at the picture and frowning. "However, if Skye is our suspect, then there's a _slight _mobility issue."

Mr Fox nodded. "Though maybe that's why Jack is here?" he said, "To do the legwork – pun not intended."

"Wittingly or unwittingly?" Nick carried on. He was broken off though by Kylie.

"What if it's a fake cast?"

Both foxes turned to face him, Foxy flashing a smile. "Excellent concept. A fake disability to throw us off the trail. Well done for contributing, and reminding us that you're there, noted friend and partner."

"Still, unless she can remove that cast, it'll still slow her down," Nick pointed out, as he thought things through. "Could she have a removable one?"

"We'd have to check it," Foxy said, nodding his head in agreement. "But how?"

"Does it have any signatures on it?" Kylie asked. "I could go in and try to sign it, getting a closer look."

Mr Fox couldn't help but clap his paws in excitement. "Kylie, you are on fire tonight. Right then, only one more suspect to deal with."

.

.

Nick glowered at the wall. "No."

"It's just as likely as the others."

"Nope."

"We're trying to keep ourselves open here, aren't we?"

"The answer is still null. Void. Nada. Zero."

"I understand that this might be a bit sensitive to you…"

"No. It's in the realms of impossibility," Nick said, speaking up. "Judy Hopps is NOT our gift thief." He looked over to the newspaper clipping of her (in her ZPD dress blues no less) that Mr Fox had put up on the wall and pulled it down.

"And how do you know that?" Mr Fox asked.

"Because I know her."

"Or do you now," he pondered. "Because maybe you don't. Maybe you…"

"Why would she even do it?" he asked.

"The same motive that Ash might have – or Jack. Manufacture a crisis and be seen as the hero who fixes it. Being the big hero for every mammal is her _modus operandi_, isn't it?"

"If I were a sucker for glory and respect, musing from an armchair like _moi_, then potentially I could agree with that sentiment," Nick countered, closing his eyes and holding himself astutely as he did so. "But am I one of those? No, no I am not. I am in fact her police partner and her boyfriend, and thus know that she's dedicated to making the world a better place. Something that theft, oddly enough, doesn't do."

"And what if it was part of some covert mission to recover secretly stolen artifacts? Would she do such a thing for the greater good?"

"No, she'd end up tying herself in knots as she tried to figure out a way for everyone to win, sink into emotional squalor and ruin before crying into her foxy lover's chest fur."

"And if she's forbidden from going to you?"

Nick sighed, leaning forwards and rubbing his forehead. "Then Bun dot E-X-E encounters an error and can't continue. Listen, it's not Judy. Heck, from a policemammal point of view, none of these even have a shred of evidence behind them. Some of those, no -all of them, are ridiculous. Heck, maybe even the lawyer guy too? I mean, what's his problem?"

"Sowing internal strife in my family, attempting to formulate a divorce, in order to be the recipient of a mortgage on this property once we split, with the aim of ultimately repossessing it for himself."

…

"Okay, so maybe we have one, semi-plausible, suspect." Nick reasoned.

"Have you seen the way he looks at this house?" Mr Fox said, smiling a little before turning back to the suspect list. "Besides. Do you have any better ideas?"

…

Nick groaned, before shaking his head. "Right then. I guess we can run with it. The worst we'll do is make fools of ourselves."

"That's the spirit!" Mr Fox agreed, gesturing them over to the schematic of his house, turning to Kylie as he did so. "Right. You talk to Kris, then perform your signing hustle thing on Skye, talking to her too. Both should be laying low in the lounge or outside, giving you easy access. While you're doing that, I'll make myself busy with Judy Hopps, in the same place, before then moving on to our prime suspect. I can take him up to show the expansion to the top room, while maybe discussing the possibilities of a further extension upwards or the potential for an external tree house annex. There's already an escape hatch there, giving me a potential evacuation route."

"-Your house has an escape hatch?" Nick asked.

"Multiple," Mr Fox boasted proudly. "This was once a fine front for bootlegging into the Nocturnal District. There's a tunnel linking up here to down there located right under this desk. A few years back Ash went through a phase of trying to clear it out. Anyhow, Nick Wilde, you get to take on Jack Savage, and then my son."

Nick nodded. "Okay then…"

"I think this is a bit too important for just an okay," Foxy noted. "Maybe try something a bit more enthusiastic?"

Kylie, stepping up, saluted. "Ready for action."

"That's the spirit," Mr Fox replied, saluting back before turning to Nick.

Nick rolled his eyes, before giving a lazy salute too. "Ready to hustle."

"That's the spirit!" he said, and off the three went.


	39. Foxes and Friends 3

**Chapter 3**

**.**

Stepping back into the main lounge, the three conspirators looked at each other and nodded before splitting up. Mr Fox immediately went towards Judy (the bunny dressed in a pink plaid shirt and dusty blue jeans and not her ZPD blues) smiling as he did so. He couldn't help but notice that she was talking to one of Badger's kids, the one who always wore a skeleton costume, in a very cute scene, even with the potential of cross fraternization between enemies.

"And… and I hear you got it all on record," he was saying, "with your special carrot pen!"

Smiling, Judy fished out the device in question, the cub bouncing up in excitement. "Can… -Can I touch it?"

"Here you go," she said, smiling as she passed it over into his trembling paws. He went giddy for a second or two, before thrusting it forwards and shouting out.

"You'll never get rid of us Predators you mean old sheep! We're super awesome, unlike you!"

Judy laughed. "It'd be a bit odd if I said that to her."

"Why's that?"

"Well, I'm a bunny, ain't I?"

He looked at her for a second or two, thinking it through, before his eyes widened and he giggled. "That would be silly. What did you say?"

"Well," she said, leaning in. She looked from left to right, and whispered it out. "I said: What are you going to do now, kill us? -And she said, 'Oh no, he is!"

"Was that Nick Wilde?"

"Yes, it was," she said. "She thought she'd hit him with one of the darts, but that clever fox had switched the nighthowlers for blueberries."

"He must be a clever fox," he said. "My dad said, 'well that was a clever fox.'"

"Oh, he's certainly very clever when he wants to be."

"Oh, so he's a massive idiot the rest of the time."

Judy was taken aback a little. "I wouldn't say a massive idiot, or the rest of the time."

"My daddy says Mr Fox is a massive idiot ALL the time."

Letting out a nervous laugh, she looked around, pausing as she saw Mr Fox looking at her. Their eyes met for a second or two and he nodded. He didn't care what Badger thought or taught his son, every mammal was entitled to their own wrong opinion.

"Well, that's what he thinks," she explained. "Everyone thinks things, and sometimes they're right, and sometimes they're wrong."

"You weren't wrong though."

She flinched back a little. "Well, I was wrong plenty of times," she said sadly, her ears drooping down. "When I didn't think things through and spoke too fast, and I said things that hurt other mammals."

"-But you weren't wrong about it being blueberries in the gun. Otherwise Nick would go all crazy and eat you. Nom-nom-nom-nom… Burp!"

That knocked her a bit, and she giggled. "Well, I was right then, and I was wrong other times. Just be careful and think about what you say and do, you don't want to go and hurt anyone by mistake." There was a pause and a smile. "After all, saying all the right things can do a lot of good. It was saying all the right things that got her to confess."

"You tricked her into telling all her plans, which you recorded here!" he said, holding out her pen and pressing the play button. The scratching of the internal record came out, before Judy's voice sprung into life.

"_Note to self…" she groaned._ "_Next time... pre-soak lentils… overnight… with baking soda or whatever… My insides feel like the mudbath at Mystic Springs Oasis…_"

A knock on a door followed, as Nick whined out. "_Nice Taka Carrots…" he whimpered. "But D'AHL!"_

…

"Did you have a stomach ache?" the badger cub asked.

Shaking herself back to attention. "Did I? Yes, yes I did," she said.

He nodded. "I hate stomach aches."

"Me too," she replied, taking the pen back. The cub nodded before racing off, leaving the bunny to relax back down.

And for Mr Fox to make his move. "Pretty embarrassing, wasn't it?" he said, giving her a wink as he sat down next to her.

"Oh, I've had worse," she said, making sure to click her carrot pen and wipe the stored message. "Waaayyyy worse."

"And it must be far more humiliating given that you're such a mammal of grace, virtue and heroism. Looked up to by the common mammal as a shining example of what they can do."

"I wouldn't quite say that," she mused, turning to look at him. "I mean, everyone has a stomach ache or little goof all the time, don't they?"

"But it pulls them down a level of two, don't you think?" Mr Fox continued. "Consider the well renowned Angel of Horns, if you will. A shining and radiant peak of mammalian beauty, with a voice that can entertain millions, standing up on stage with a whole city enraptured by her. Every second you see her, she's working at a level high enough to draw up your gaze, acting in a way that makes you think of her as fantastic in every sense of the word. A simple greeting to the crowd can stir the heart and soul of millions, and she becomes an icon, not a mere normal mammal. Sure, in private she might have a stomach ache, or spill a hot drink on herself in a way that sets off an ungainly chain of random cussing, but you don't see that. And, if you did, wouldn't it break the illusion that she put her heart and soul to create?"

"I guess, for a bit," Judy said. "But then a day later, everything's back to normal. You're still Gazelle, you still have your music."

"But, you might not quite be this truly amazing and perfect mammal in everyone's eyes?" Mr Fox countered. He gave her a quick nudge. "I for one can testify to the effort needed to keep yourself at such a level."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, good thing I'm not interested in that."

"And what are you interested in, mayhaps?" he enquired.

"Well," she said, looking around before pointing out the cub she'd been talking to.

"That can have many worrying implications there, miss."

She looked at him and smirked. "You're sounding like Nick, you know that?"

"Well, he is a fantastic Fox. We do have certain things in common."

She nodded, before looking back out. "It's about cubs and kits and calfs like him," she said. "And other mammals, just living their lives. It's about making the world a better place for them. I always had this dream, to be a police officer, and that was so I could protect them and help them, making their world a better place." She paused and laughed. "And okay, mammals said I couldn't be a cop because I was a bunny, but it was something I wanted to do. Proving them wrong, and showing them that I could do it, however hard it was, was a massive thing for me too. If I work hard enough, I can do anything, but I wouldn't say I'm on a higher level like Gazelle. Cheese and crackers, she's probably interested in making the world a better place and pushing her art further and further, sort of like me." She paused, before reaching out and holding Foxy's paw. "Deep down, you're probably interested in keeping your family nice and safe, while pushing yourself to new limits as well."

"Well," Mr Fox replied, pausing as he turned to look at his wife. "I never plan or do anything that I know will drag them down and, as for new limits… I happen to enjoy it when life gives me chances to reach them."

"Yeah," she said, patting his paw hard. "That's the spirit."

"Yes it is," he agreed, before standing up. They quickly parted, and he mentally scribbled her name off of his list given the lack of any tells or slip-ups.

Again, it was a long shot.

His eyes narrowed though as he saw the black and white mammal standing off in a corner. Paws on his hips like an old gunslinger, he imagined he had a wheat straw in his mouth, moving it around to one side and giving a chew, baring one side of his teeth. "Showdown time, Badger."

Judy, meanwhile, decided to catch some fresh air. She slipped out of the building, passing Kris and Kylie as she went. The latter looked at her, turned back to the mammal he was charged with confronting, and took a deep breath in.

"So…" the opossum said, his voice trailing off a little.

"Yes?" asked the silver fox.

"I… uhhhh…. -Well, I was just wondering," he said, fumbling around with his paws a little as he thought. "Might you, ever… Or perhaps in certain situations… I'm…"

…

"Kylie?"

He huffed, fidgeting with his ubiquitous fishing vest before turning away, scratching behind his ear. "I'm sorry, you're just a bit intimidating, and…"

"Oh," he asked, a little confused. "Am I?"

"Well," Kylie said, before bringing out his fingers to note off of. "There's your high intelligence and perceptiveness, likely seeing through me right now; your high moral fiber which is giving me issues of guilt and poor self-worth already; the overall stress I'm facing given what rests on this; and the fact you know karate."

One of Kris's eyes narrowed, his gaze growing skeptical and inquisitive as it bore down on the smaller mammal.

"Okay, okay!" He said, panicking. "I'll come clean with you."

"Clean about what?"

"I'm…. -Pondering ethics! For instance, do you believe that consequentialist utilitarianist theory as defined and promoted by Jeremy Batham is a valid tool for guiding behavior in this day and age, in particular when seeking to manipulate the two postulated sovereign masters of our existence, even if it requires a temporary compromise of deontologic principles."

Kris paused, thinking a little. "You know, I think I meditated over that a bit a few years back. I didn't know you were interested in it."

"I almost finished a master's degree in moral philosophy."

"Oh! Cool. I never knew. Why did you stop?"

"The professor had an existential incident that involved canned chili and marshmallow snacks. I entered a long Nihilistic phase after that. It wasn't a good place."

Kris nodded, before stepping forwards, a paw on Kylie's shoulder. "You have my sympathies."

"They're appreciated."

"Anyway, back then, I came to the conclusion that the means may well justify the ends when increasing pleasure and reducing pain, but such means shouldn't involve breaking basic rules of conduct and ethics unless it is the only option to prevent a great and terrible harm."

"Even if no-one is ever the wiser of the rules being broken?" Kylie asked.

"If a tree falls in the woods with nobody in it to hear, does it still make a sound?"

"Isn't the answer to that intentionally ambiguous?"

"Ambiguous as far as the basic laws of physics are, which they aren't."

"So, I'm guessing noise then."

"Yes," Kris said, smiling. "Maybe we could talk about this more later. It's very interesting."

"Yes, it is," Kylie agreed, before slipping away. Scurrying on his two feet, he looked over his shoulder and made sure that he Kris wasn't looking, before he slumped into a nearby chair, panting hard as he tried to catch his breath.

Before he was stirred by a heated discussion between Badger and Mr Fox.

"Foxy! What you are describing is an act of pure vandalism."

The red fox shrugged, before waving off a paw. "I'd call it a fine external extension to my living space. You're just playing the oversensitive conservationist here, aren't you?"

"Pah! Hardly," the mustelid ranted, marching in front of Mr Fox to block him in his tracks. He looked around, before waving at the interior. "This is one of the finest Canyon Live Oaks in the world, with a perfectly formed trunk, and a remarkably symmetrical and free-standing crown. I've… -You know that there's architectural blogs that cite this place for its non-intrusiveness!"

"Please," Foxy dissuaded. "You're bluffing."

There was a slight grumble as a phone came out, a pair of paws starting to tap away. "I… know… you… still… won't.. cussing… listen… to… me…"

As he did so, the red fox sidestepped up to Kylie and nudged him. "How's the hustle going?"

Kylie blinked a few times, confused. "The hustle?"

"The new name for the job. New times, new setting, new terminology!"

"Right. Good news, he's cleared."

"-And the bad news?"

"-I was _this _close to doing the opossum thing."

"Well, onto the next stage of the hustle," Foxy replied, just as he had a phone thrust in his face,

"Exhibit A: A recommendation about the simple elegance of this structure, as compared to Exhibit B, a primarily _external _tree house," Badger lectured. "Foxy, do you even need more living space?"

"Well," he said with a smile, closing his eyes and succinctly ignoring his lawyer. "A new play room would be nice, attached to an expanded lounge in order to convert this area into one of those fancy snug places which are in vogue now… I'd also fancy a billiard room, a nice conservatory…"

"Fine then," he barked. "But why not dig out some new underground chambers? If it's light you're worried about, then just get some big roof lanterns."

Mr Fox folded his arms. "I'd like to think that my family is above living in holes…"

Badger grumbled and set off again as Kylie slipped away. Now he had to find Skye, something that was seemingly harder than he first though. Guessing she was outside, he left through the large doors at the back of the room, pausing as he spotted Jack. "Have you seen Skye?" he asked.

"She heard that someone's car was making a sound, so she offered to go and have a look."

"Right then," he agreed, before slipping out. The striped bunny was left where he was, not really doing much, until his ears rose as a voice called out.

"Hey there, Stripes." Jack smiled, holding himself up a bit, as Nick turned up next to him. "Interesting. Not helping your special vixen out I see?" he teased. "Does 'new Jack' need a missing mammals report filed, I wonder?"

He closed his eyes and bucked up his head, a finger out. "He happens to be here and very well, thank you. It's just that a boar offered to carry her down." There was a pause, and he gave Nick an almost patronisingly smug look. "I'm improving myself, but I learned from the best about not going too crazy."

"Touché," Nick said. "You got me there."

The Jackrabbit relaxed somewhat, only to end up looking even more proud of himself. "In fact, her letting someone carry herself down there and back up is something much bigger for her than me assisting her is for me! So I was putting her character improvement drive over my own, therefore doing more, therefore fulfilling my 'New Jack' drive _excellently_."

"Okay, yeah, I can see the logic there! In any case, it's always great when following your goal to do more instructs you to do nothing."

"It certainly is a splendid coincidence," Jack chirped up.

…

"So, Skye's improvement drive is 'letting people carry her'?"

"Help her, actually," Jack noted. "She used to be happy doing everything herself, and I was happy letting her do everything by herself. Now, she wants to be better at letting others help her, and I want to be better at helping others. So we're a pretty great match, don't you think?"

"Well I'd say," Nick agreed, smirking. He paused, thinking, before carrying on. "Let me ask you if this sounds familiar. Dumb boy thinks that life is set as it is, and he can get on quite easily by just doing the things he's always done. Only, whoopsie, he's suddenly thrust into close contact with a certain member of the opposite sex. Double whoopsie, she makes an impression on him. You begin to feel different, you look back at the way you acted before and realise that that just can't do, and you want to go out and change it. You have to… -otherwise, like me, you will end up in levels of emotional squalor that can only be fixed by devious therapists and an acting hustle performed by two highly talented super sly bunnies."

Jack nodded. "Yup, that. But not the emotional squalor stuff. I'll change, but again, not going crazy." There was a pause, and he gave Nick a sly look. "I did learn from the best."

"Happy to get the appreciation I deserve. But still, you have changed though," Nick parried back.

Jack bristled a little. "Ahem. I happen to be the one called Jack, so I get to use the 'but you have '_insert-word-here'_ me' retorts."

"Right, right," Nick said, rolling his eyes. "You know, despite being a bit of a slob, you're still the most aloof actor I've ever met."

"But you have met me," the jackrabbit said back, a grin on his muzzle.

"Have I, yes I have," Nick replied.

There was a pause, and then the two laughed, buckling over.

"Seriously though," Jack replied, smiling. "I feel like I am changing, and I like it! I even cleaned my office up!"

"Great!" Nick noted, giving the Jackrabbit a pat on the back. "Next time I come, I won't need a gasmask."

"There may also be this thing called the floor that you can see," Jack said, crossing his arms and nodding. "Though, may I say something?"

"Yes."

"Cleaning is sooooo boring!" He groaned. "And my paws still ache from cleaning out all that stuff, and emptying the vacuum into the bin sent me choking, and I'm gonna have to keep doing it! Week after week! I've performed entire plays about the futility of existence and the nihilistic and entropic nature of all things… _But this is the best advocate of it ever! _Forget rolling a boulder up the hill, just clean your room. Then do it again… Then again… then foreveeeerrraaaannnddddeeeevvveeeerrrrr…. No way out…_"_

"Is it me," Nick pondered. "Or are you articulating the thoughts of every grumpy teen ever?"

"I don't know, ask Ash."

Nick nodded. "In a bit," he said. "Hmmm… Thinking about helping him out a bit?"

"No, why? You planning something?"

"No," Nick replied. "Just wondering about you and your helping drive."

Jack shook his head. "I don't know him, so how would I help? Does he even need it? I only got the baby box to cover all the bases. Anyway, I think I've met my 'do more for them' quota for now."

Nick nodded, scratching the Jackrabbit firmly off the list. He smiled, then spoke smugly. "You know, for someone aiming to 'do more', making a quota sounds awfully like a way of doing less doing more."

"Ah," Jack pointed out, sounding oddly pirate-ish. "But you do admit that I am 'doing more'."

Both their mouths slowly pulled into a little smile, before they simultaneously relaxed, gave each other double finger guns and nodded their head head in appreciation. "_Yeeeaaahhhh!"_

As they did so, Nick spotted Skye arriving back at the house, looking bashful as the boar who'd carried her placed her down. Back on one foot and two crutches, her head and ears were folded down and her tail curled up around her. She fidgeted the tip a little with one before paw before setting off back to the house.

"Well, Jack," Nick said, fussing with his tie a little. "Seems like another special fox has arrived, so I'll bid you _adieu_. Don't want to overload you or anything."

"See you; don't go crazy," Jack said with a wave as Nick left, before he turned to Skye. "Doing good?"

She sat down on a chair next to him, her ears showing a definite pink hue, and glanced around sheepishly while fidgeting with end of her tail. "Well, I did it," she said, her voice a little more than a whisper. "I feel like I might as well have been wearing the stuff in that baby box, but I did it…"

She kept on looking around nervously, only to pause as Jack placed a paw on her shoulder. "Nobody's looking. Nobody cares," he said, smiling. "If you were in a wheelchair and I was pushing you, it's not like people would think it's a pushchair, would they?"

"No…" she sighed, turning to him and nodding her head. "But I'd still feel pretty useless if I wasn't using my paws to help push the wheels."

"And what if you were in a straightjacket."

Her eyes narrowed. "This is a family event, remember."

"As if I'd forget," he scoffed. "Just presume this is a thought exercise, Skye."

"What, the family event?" She deadpanned. "What's that trying to prove?"

There was a pause, Skye coyly raising an eyebrow as Jack returned the gesture. "That you can spin a joke," he said, looking at her proudly. "Experiment successful."

"Cuss yeah it was," she smirked, giving him a wink as he relaxed.

"Feeling better then?"

"Mostly, yeah," she said.

"Right, so no emergency bunny therapy required."

"Oh, it will be," she teased, as she looked at him longingly. "But I can wait till we get home."

Jack nodded, before having an idea. He walked up close to her and placed a paw on the arm of her chair. It didn't take long for hers to lie on top, slowly scritching it. "Are you sure about that?"

"Well, you're looking very snuggable right now," she said, a grin slowly growing as she leant forwards, stroking the back of his head. "Let's find somewhere private."

"Let me help you," he said, sauntering forwards to help her up, only to be cut off by a voice.

"-Ah! There you are." Jack turned around to see Kylie there, waiting. "I was looking for you, Miss Autumn."

"Nice to catch up Kylie. How you doing?"

"Good thanks," he said, bringing out a pen. "Could I sign your cast?"

She paused, thinking for a bit, before shrugging. "Go for it."

"Right," he said, leaning in close and carefully signing her ankle. "Say. I heard about an ancient Efrafan play about the morals of the repatriation of ancient goods that was found recently. Any thoughts?"

…

"That's probably more Dr Silverfox's area of expertise," she said, before glancing at Jack.

"What she said."

"Right then," Kylie noted, as he leant in close to the foot. "And I'm done."

Skye nodded and pulled her foot up to have a look, only for a new voice to ring out. "Can I draw on it too?"

She looked up to see a little badger girl, soon joined by a slightly older boy. "Woah! You broke your foot? Did it go snap?"

She smiled and grabbed the pen, passing it to them. "I don't think it made a sound. It just hurt."

"You know," someone else piped up, as a weasel walked over. "My brother broke his arm once…"

"Oh gosh!" An otter chirped. "You know, I could do some pretty flowers on it…"

"I guess you can," Skye said nervously, her ears folding back a little as she noticed a larger crowd beginning to gather around her.

"You know, it's good luck to have over a hundred signings…"

"It may not be much, but I can kiss it better?"

"How's the healing been going?"

"You know, an old trick my mother used…"

"A fox with a broken leg? Gosh, it must be awful for you?"

"Yes," she said, trying to be polite. "One at a time… Yup, it's broken!" The din of strangers voices and well wishes kept getting louder and more intimidating, but she was too polite to tell them to cuss off. Her tail went into her paw, getting fidgeted around as she tried to handle the mob, before she reached for something much stronger.

"Skyyyyeeeee…"

He landed on her lap and was hugged close. "You good?"

"I…"

She began petting his side.

"-Yup."

"Good," she said, relaxing a little as she turned back to the seemingly giant crowd, constantly asking questions while they took turns signing her cast. "Gonna need you for this…"

Jack nodded and relaxed, barely noticing Nick and Ash (who, in a grey tracksuit and hoodie would almost pass as a regular teen were it not for the odd white socks, with trousers tucked in, that he wore) pass by and slip into the staircase.

They were making their way up the narrow staircase, Ash talking as he went. "I mean the woodland theme is nice for the clothes and stuff," he was saying. "But babies don't really care about themed stuff, do they? They'll mostly forget everything anyway, so why bother with artistic coherence? The only reason things become a theme is that they're cute and easy to draw."

"Ah," Nick replied, "but you forget one thing."

"What's that?"

"Little kits are master hustlers," he said. "They have an amazing ability to make their parents spend all sorts of stuff on them. In fact, I'm even a little envious of their talents."

"Well, okay then," Ash replied. "But still, the whole theme thing is just rolling things over to keep designers in a job, not that the design things are actually that complex."

"I hear you," Nick agreed. "I mean look at how owls of all things became the last cute thing. Before the woodland theme, you had owls on T-shirts, owls on blankets, owls on backpacks, you name it, they put owls on it. Exact same style of owl too. Just an oval, two smaller side oval wings, a triangle beak, circle eyes, and a kind of big V on the face. Easy to do, easy to identify, and they do look cute. Most importantly though, you can use simple colour combinations and matches, and basic expressions, to create multiple adorable little variants! Boom, the perfect cute motif, and they're now literally everywhere and have left pawpads in the dust."

"The old cot we have has a pawpad motif."

"Exactly," Nick replied, "back then everything was paw pads. I was living in places with paw pad wallpaper and paw pad sheets. But then the owls came! It's a motif-eat-motif world out there, and woodland might be about to usurp owls for good… -Which is nice, as I adore that woodland stuff."

"Well, why not have woodland with owls, pawpads and foxes all in one go," Ash countered, as he opened the door to the new nursery, he and Nick immediately pausing as they saw Foxy and Badger arguing.

"-This tree gave us a fine set of primary branches to extend onto," the vulpine crooned, pointing out of the window. "Stout, robust, only two and a half steps up from this floor level and splitting into two level branches that grow out from each other at a near right angle. Perfect to build a platform between. Badger, this tree is inviting me to knock through it and build a bedroom and playroom annex with an attached veranda and roof terrace. I can imagine it now, taking design cues from the ox-tongue fungus and helping to raise this tree's appearance to new heights."

"Ox-tongue fungus? -Tumour, more like," Badger barked. "Besides, you'd lose this room in the process! It'd just by a non-space, a hallway, to get to your folly."

"Or I could create a corridor through, converting the rest into a new family bathroom, enabling an extension of the lounge into the old one."

"Pah! Have you even done the load calculations? With all that sideways force curving into a hollowed out tree, you'd need hideous external supports to…"

Ash looked to Nick and Nick to Ash. "Shall we try my room first?"

"-We can do without, Badger. Trust me."

"Yup. Sounds like a plan," he replied, as they slipped out.

"-It'd be Rowan Point all over again!"

…

One floor above, Nick was led into Ash's new room and let out a whistle. "Cosy."

"I know," he replied, looking around.

It was. About a foot had been taken off the walls compared to the room below, and things were all a bit closer together. Thankfully it wasn't cramped or anything, and everything had its own space here. Looking around, Nick raised an eyebrow as he saw a small hatch above Ash's bed, likely the escape hatch Mr Fox had been talking about.

"Here's the comic pages!"

Looking down, Nick leant forwards and nodded as he saw the drawn files, all in order.

"No spoiling though," he said, as he stashed them away.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Yeah."

"Well, actually I would."

"Huh?"

"In nightmares," Nick added, shivering a little for comedic effect.

"Oh, right," Ash agreed, as he closed the drawer. Nick looked on, before pausing as he saw a small cabinet next to it, locked shut by a padlock.

"Say, Mr," he began, before making a spitting sound. "What's in there."

"There!" he exclaimed, flinching a bit. "It's… Uhhhh… -private stuff. Yes, private and personal stuff."

Nick nodded and took a sniff or two. Having known many teens, he knew what kind of stuff they might keep in there and had received a lot of training to sniff it out. There were a few oddly familiar scents in the room, be they from the cabinet or otherwise he couldn't tell, but nothing that he'd been trained to identify as part of narcotics duties. Of course, there might be a scent proof box in there, or things that didn't have a scent at all.

Such as a missing present.

Nick turned up to Ash. He didn't think that the kit had done it, he didn't want to think, but…

There was a chance, a means, a motive…

This was about ruling him out, wasn't it?

"Know the feeling," he said, before looking over to where the comics went. "How do you feel about finishing it? With Kris?"

"I'm proud," he said, crossing his arms and glowing a little. "I mean, I did something. I did a job, and I made something people enjoy… They enjoy what I did."

"And what Kris did," he pointed out.

There was a slight waver of Ash's right ear, and he nodded. "Well, that's his part, and he did really good on it too."

"Can't fault that logic," he noted. "And what now? Any new projects in the works?"

"I'm not sure. I mean, there's the baby coming and then my main exams. Maybe I should take a break."

"Or not. Maybe do a solo project?"

Ash looked on, thinking about it for a second or two before nodding. "Yeah. Maybe. -In fact, I could probably do a great one. -If Kris wanted to do his own thing he could do one too, it'd probably be better, but mine would still be great. -And different. And as long as people like what I do in the end, that's the main thing."

Nick nodded, before being distracted by a knock on the door, Mr Fox calling out. "May we come in?"

"Yeah," Ash said, as his father and Badger entered.

"-Anyway," he carried on, "as you can see here we've done some excellent expansion work. You can still smell the fresh wood scent."

Badger looked on, nodding a little. "Well this kind of work is perfectly sensible."

"-As would be my future extension upwards!" Mr Fox replied, "consider a spiral staircase up to the top, from which you would access a vibrant diversity of new rooms, each more abstract and unique in shape than the last."

"Foxy," Badger warned. "You're trying my patience. You're the only one here who thinks that this is a good idea."

Sensing an opportunity, Nick slipped in. "Why, I perfectly agree with you."

"See!" Badger agreed, "now this is a fox who knows what he's talking about."

Mr Fox shot a level glance at Nick, the fox cop smirking a little, raising and eyebrow in return. "Indeed. A complete house remodel and development with no hot tub?"

"You see Foxy, you don't…" Badger paused, before turning to Nick. "This better be a hot tub in the grounds!"

"The grounds?" Nick exclaimed. "Why would I put it there? Such a waste of the great vantage points up on this tree?"

"Oh, you can't be serious."

"I'm not. I'm Nick. But I'm serious about this. Imagine, an elephant sized hot tub, doubling up as a pool too, suspended up near the crook one-third up the largest branch."

"Ju… You know how far out that is?"

"And with a Buckminster Fawnler inspired glass canopy above it," Nick continued, as the mustelid buried his paws in his face. "Consider you and the missus taking laps and drinking champagne in the hot water, all while the steam does your fur wonders, as you look out at the snow falling down around you due to Rainforest District-effect."

"Consider this tree, ruined by your architectural misadventures, tipping over because you didn't bother to learn about forces and moments in school!"

"I learnt about them!" Ash piped up. "Just put another hot tub on the other side."

"An excellent proposal from both of you," Mr Fox agreed.

"Where would another elephant sized hot tub even go! Tell me that Foxy!"

Mr Fox seemed stumped for a second or two, only for Ash to shoot his paw up. "Maybe instead of another elephant sized hot tub, you could put up a hot tub that's half the size but have it twice as far out."

"Moments!" Nick agreed, giving Ash a thumbs up. "Cuss yeah!"

"Nick Wilde was it? You are not a fox who knows what he's talking about," Badger remarked, before looking down at Ash. "Neither are you."

"I will not be put down or lowered in any way," he remarked stubbornly, before turning to Nick. "Let's go downstairs."

"Right then," Nick agreed, before slipping off with Ash. Back into the nursery, he could see it in more detail. The walls, as before, were still plain wood, albeit with far more shelves. There were some new dressers, as well as other baby stuff set out. Resting symmetrically below the main window was the cot, an old travel one with a white metal frame and fabric mesh walls that held up the mattress below. Just like Ash had said, it was paw pad themed, with hundreds of different itty-bitty paw pads, all in primary colours, on the white mattress. The sides themselves had a few big pads imprinted onto the mesh. In contrast, Ash's homemade mobile hanging up above had smiling pawpads, owls, foxes, letters, numbers, stars, a moon, a sun and clouds.

"Unique. I like it," Nick said.

"You can say that it's different if you want," Ash replied, as he waved around. There were some large painted murals hung up here and there, which he'd done, showing cartoonish scenes of pre-evolved fox families playing or living in dens.

"Did your mother do any of these?"

"That one over there with the family sheltering from the thunderstorm," he remarked, as he wandered over to a corner of the room. There was a large bump in the tree on that side, which had been carved into to create a small room, large enough to fit a toilet in if wanted. Instead, soft plastic mattresses had been laid out while the rest of it had been plastered and then painted by Ash in his no-theme theme. Some stuffed toys, a building block set, and other items waited within, while a metal gate had been laid across it.

"Ah. The Bebe' jail," Nick joked, as Ash pointed to the baby monitor fixed in place. "Carrots did say that fox kits are illegally cute. Your new sibling has been sentenced to an extended time in bebe' jail for breaking the law!"

Ash flicked a little smile as he passed by the rest of the place. There were some bookshelves, which had started to be filled out, along with an old changing and cleaning set complete with a sink-tub and small shower attachment for helping with messier incidents. Just like the crib, it was unashamedly paw pad themed.

"You've all done a good job," Nick remarked, smiling. "I think New Fox will settle down here nicely… "

"New Fox…? -Right. Clever."

"I tend to be," Nick smirked. "Say, thought of any names yet?"

Ash shook his head. "Mom said that if it was a girl she'd have Rosalind as a middle name."

"That's nice," Nick agreed.

"But apart from that, no."

"Fair enough," Nick remarked, nodding.

He and Ash were broken off though by a slight knocking on the door as Dr Silverfox entered. "Pardon me, but have you seen Kris anywhere?"

"No," Ash replied.

"Me neither," came another voice, as Mr Fox came down, Badger still in tow.

"-As a learned man," the mustelid immediately pressed, "can you explain to your brother-in-law that he's an idiot."

There was an awkward stand-off, before Ash slipped out, passing Dr Silverfox. "I'm leaving."

"Good idea," he muttered, before turning to Nick. "Have you seen my son?"

"No," Nick replied honestly, walking up to him. If he now had to find his son on top of this missing present then that would really be taking the biscuit. Still, he suddenly had a cunning plan. He made sure to get a little sniff of the mammal before watching him leave, then turning to watch the arguing fox and badger for a little bit, before quietly sniffing out.

He headed upwards, gently knocking on Ash's room before slipping in, turning towards the locked cabinet. Moving in, sniffing close, his eyes widened.

Ever so faintly, he smelt Dr Silverfox.

His ears lowered. It couldn't be Ash, could it? He'd come to peace with everything, he was okay…

But it was Dr Silverfox's scent in there…

But it was weak! Far weaker than if he'd grabbed the present straight up and thrust it in there. Maybe it was something that he'd given to Ash as a present?

Or maybe it was the present, but in a scent proof box. They kept scents in, but generally you needed to rub the outside down in order to clear off any scents that had got onto there. That, and ensure it was properly closed in the first place…

The only way he'd know is if he opened the padlock and snuck in for a peek. After all, he could easily pick it, but…

Whatever he was thinking was suddenly cut off as he heard footsteps, rising up the stairs outside. He realised with horror that it might be Ash, he might get found out, he might shatter the trust between them! He'd only be seen as a sneaky fox, up to no good…

Looking around, panicking, his gaze passed over and then anchored to a spot on the ceiling. The 'escape hatch'. Bolting up, he hauled itself up onto Ash's bed and opened it up, a small rope ladder dropping down. At a speed that would even impress the drill instructor at the police academy he scurried up the ladder before pulling it up and closing the hatch behind him.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he took stock of his surroundings. He was in a short shaft, almost pitch black bar the slight creep of light coming from above. Nudging it, Nick smiled as it moved.

Prying it open, out Nick went.


	40. Foxes and Friends 4

**Chapter 4:**

.

Pushing it out and open, Nick took a breath of fresh air in as he stepped outside. Making sure the hatch he'd come out of was closed behind him, he took stock of where he was. Up above him, the great canopy of the tree grew wide and tall, rustling with a thick blanket of leaves. Great, stout and tall branches went up, like columns of a cathedral, to hold up the living roof above. He'd emerged into the crux of the tallest and greatest of these, where the main trunk itself finally let itself split asunder on its way up.

The bark was thick and knobby, thankfully giving Nick lots of places to hold onto, though he had to be a little careful with his foot paws. Despite a sharply cut drainage ditch, the area was still a natural sink, and moss and slime grew around it. Holding his breath, making sure his claws were dug in, Nick slowly but carefully began making his way down.

"Keep it easy Wilde," he told himself. He'd certainly had trickier climbs up and down during his police academy training, though the falls had been far less and the safety padding far more. After all, unlike grey foxes, he wasn't exactly built for climbing trees.

However, he always valued being adaptable, and he was making good progress.

"Evening," Mr Fox said, as he climbed up past him.

"Evening," Nick replied, as he passed down. There were two massive branches next to him, and if he shimmied over to the other side using them, maybe he could…

"-Wait, what?!"

"Mind if we sit?" Mr Fox said casually, as he gestured to the two branches.

"I… -Yes!" Nick barked out, suddenly confused. Hauling himself up onto the larger of the branches, he shimmied over as Mr Fox practically jumped up and settled down next to him. "Convenient, correct?"

Deciding to just roll with it for a second or so, Nick relaxed. "I may be enjoying the topiary, yes. Is that why you're out here?"

"Well, this was more of a debating exercise," he said casually, smiling as Nick gave a confused tilt of his head. "Let me rewind for a second," he continued, two paws chopping in front of him, before swooshing to the side.

.

* * *

.

**A few minutes ago**

The argument inside the new nursery had carried on before moving down to the master bedroom, where it was getting ever more heated, Mr Fox casually throwing out new ideas for additions, extensions and alterations, Badger getting more irritated as he tried to shoot them down.

"I don't know why you're so concerned about my family getting a little more space?" he asked casually.

"I'm worried because I can see your bank account and, unlike you, my mind isn't too full of vapid thoughts to not appreciate things as they are!"

"I just hear a bit of envy. If you like this house so much, why don't you buy it? Or make your own?"

"Ha, you really think I'd want to live somewhere like this," Badger scoffed, gesturing around. Mr Fox felt like he'd been slapped in the face, both with confusion from Badger's objection to the house and the insult that came with it.

"Now hang on here, you can't say that you don't like this house after all the times you've waxed on about it like an architecture critic, or a critic of architecture."

"Pah," Badger scoffed. "You do realise that there's a difference between appreciating a building and wanting to live in it? I appreciate the Sistine chapel. It doesn't mean I want to cook my breakfast with the papalcy stove they use to send the smoke signals."

"And what exactly _wrong _with my house?"

"The fact that I have four kits, and my current Sett in the nocturnal district has six bedrooms, two lounges, and doesn't need winter heating. Unlike your place, where I'd do my knee in everyday going up that health hazard of a staircase to get anywhere; I like everything on a single floor, thanks."

"Well, I quite happen to enjoy the exercise," Mr Fox countered.

Badger crossed his arms and shook his head. "Really. I've still yet to hear one advantage of this place over my sett."

"Hmm, let me think. It's prettier, naturally expands, is organic, stylish, and has easier egress in case of emergencies."

"Easier emergency egress? Stop pulling my leg, Foxy. Show me."

"Very well, I shall," Mr Fox said, nodding, before he immediately opened the window and climbed out.

.

* * *

.

Back in the present, Mr Fox crossed his arms. "And that was how I showed him."

Nick, sitting next to him, relaxed, letting a smile grow on his face. "Did you show him?" he said, "yes, yes you did."

"So, you're finally warming up to this?" Mr Fox asked, a warm smile growing on his muzzle.

"Maybe I am a little now," Nick said with a shrug, looking around. The view was great, after all, and getting to talk with the others had been fun. Things hadn't gone crazy wrong though, so that was nice. Then again… "Any luck?"

"Well, Hopps and Badger are out. She's too focused on doing the right thing…"

"-As I said," Nick pointed out.

"As you said, while Badger turns out to have no taste in living arrangements! Kylie also ruled out Kris and Skye."

"Jack wouldn't be bothered enough to do it," Nick added, before sighing. "And I'm pretty sure that Ash wouldn't either."

"_Pretty_ sure?"

"Make it beautifully sure then," Nick said, ballparking it.

"And how much exactly is that."

"Ninety-six percent, I guess?"

"You guess, well I'd agree… Though maybe ninety-five…" he lead on.

…

"No, ninety-six," Nick restated.

"And why's that?"

"What's the opposite of beautiful?"

"Ugly?"

"No, trashy."

"Okay then, where does this intriguing logic train go next?"

Nick turned to Mr Fox with a smug look on his muzzle, before raising an eyebrow. "What number is the reverse of ninety-six?"

"Hmmm," Mr Fox hummed appreciatively, nodding in understanding. "The trashiest number."

"Yup," Nick agreed smiling, "though I know how we could make it a certainty. The whole triple digit shebang."

Mr Fox nodded. "Sounds like an excellent course of action then," he said, before crossing his arms. "You see, this is why I like you. Maybe if you'd have planned this all, we'd have our wayward gift by now."

"Well we would," Nick said smugly. "As everyone would have searched for it."

"But then everyone would have known it was gone," Mr Fox pointed out. "Not very cunning for an exceptionally cunning fox as yourself."

Nick paused, not quite sure what to think of the compliment. On one paw, wasn't it awfully close to being called sneaky or sly, things with bad connotations which he wanted to get away from? On the other…

…

You know what? Being cunning wasn't bad! Cuss yeah, he was cunning, and he knew it!

"Well, maybe it's not the most 'cunning' thing in the world," Nick explained, relaxing back and flashing Mr Fox a cunning look. "But unlike others, I'm happy to lose a little face in the name of the mission."

"I think you mean compromise yourself," Mr Fox parried back. The two foxes' eyes met, and each gave the other a knowing and excited look.

"Well, how would you do it?" Nick pondered out loud. "Say for instance, an operation in which, while keeping within the bounds of the law, you had to make a large quantity of money via the manufacture and selling of frozen paw shaped goods."

"So, how would I hawk quote-unquote Paw-Pops?"

"-Pawpsicles."

"Well, I'd first arrange a scan of the supplies and competition. Who exactly sells the best paw pops? What goes into them? I'd presume it is most likely a syrupy concoction which is frozen on site and molded. Hence forth, I'd procure a bulk quantity of such ingredients…"

"Wholesale pricing it?" Nick asked, shaking his head.

"And what do you do, pay full retail price?" Foxy enquired.

"I get _others _to pay the full retail price, using a clever act and social manipulation. There's a big difference there."

Mr Fox shrugged it off. "Moving on, once manufactured in my freezers…"

"-Which require energy and a fixed capital cost."

"Seeing as I already own them, it happens to only be marginal."

"More than freezing them in Tundra Town."

"And the fuel cost for getting to Tundra Town is?"

Nick paused, stymied by that one for a second or two, before he shook his head clear. "Less than the investment costs of new freezers for myself, so let's call that section a draw," he replied with a proud smile. "Though my Pawpsicles would still cost less to make, and once I sell them for two bucks a pop, I come out on top!"

Mr fox raised an eyebrow. "Two bucks a pop?"

"Well, you'll find that bankers, rodents, and rodent bankers are looser with their money," Nick explained.

…

"-Just two a pop? Is that really the limit of your ambitions?"

"I…" Nick began, suddenly confused. "Two a pop was pushing it as is."

"And unambitious. I can sell them for at least twenty!"

"No you can't."

"Or maybe far more."

"And I enjoy howling at the moon," Nick said, before looking away and shrugging. "But if you think you can sell them for more…"

"Step one of selling your Paw Pops for more," Mr Fox began. "Find a highly limited clientele with a large quantity of disposable income. Step two, push them into a situation where they're more than happy to sell their goods. I for one would pick a convention of arctic or Tundratown business mammals, who are often exceptionally rich and have a strong disliking of hot weather. I would then ensure that any major conference of theirs that is coming up is held at the Grand Palm or somewhere else in Sahara Square. Tundra Town has few major conference centres, and sweet-talking the organisers with the potential for networking and entertainment opportunities should swing it further. If it doesn't, we can still salvage that as we enter step two. Using some simple print outs, maybe some swiped ID cards, we infiltrate in and make adjustments to the conference thermostats. Given ample time, we can retreat, enter in with our goods and begin the sales pitch just as the mammals begin to get hot under the collar. Seeking cool relief more than a good deal, they pay our inflated price until we begin to run low, or at least say we begin to run low. At this stage, after a bit of encouragement, we have several of the mammals annoyed and facing off against each other, the perfect formula for an emotion led bidding war for what's left. In doing so, we make an exceptional profit on our Paw Pops and, in doing so, I win this little exercise. Thank you, applause welcome."

Nick looked on, his mouth hanging open slightly, before he shrugged and rolled with it, clapping his paws a little. "You know, if we combine our powers…"

"Integrate your reduced manufacturing costs with my heightened sales earnings!"

"Then all the world will be our Pawpsicle," Nick proclaimed.

Mr Fox nodded. "I can drink to that," he said, before handing over a bottle of cider. Nick looked at it, only to pause.

"Where did you get this from?"

"Kylie gave it to me," he said, gesturing up with a paw. Nick followed it, looking up to see the opossum up above him, hanging from the next branch up by his tail.

"Hi," he said, waving a little with his free paw, the other holding his drink.

Nick gave a shrug and pulled up his cider, taking a sip before choking a bit. "Oh my…"

Mr Fox gave him a proud look as he took his own swig.

"That's… Good stuff…"

"I know," Mr Fox replied, smiling. "I have a specialist supplier for this stuff, and it's the best you can get. Burns down the throat, fires up your stomach…"

"Clears the sinuses too," Nick said, smiling as he pulled up his bottle again. This time he was ready, and he took a good swig of the molten gold before looking out over the city. "But yeah… We're sly foxes, but different sly foxes. I'm also afraid to say that my Pawpsicle days are over."

"And maybe your Paw Pop days have just begun?" Mr Fox said, wiggling his eyebrows as he took another drink.

"Nah," Nick replied, shrugging. "Problem one, I'm a cop now. I want to be this new mammal, and maybe I can still by sly, but if I am then it's being sly for justice! Problem two, Paw Pops are a terrible name."

"You'll come around to them…"

"No, I won't."

"Regardless," Mr Fox mused. "It seems that you and I may have missed out on working together, scheming and plotting, in the big leagues at least." There was a pause and a smile. "We could have been quite the team."

"That we could have," Nick replied, taking another mouthful. "Though we still have our little mission tonight."

"That we do," he said. "And your little thing with Ash, which we got conveniently sidetracked from a while ago."

"Oh, that," Nick said. "Do you know what Ash has in his locked cabinet?"

"No."

"Well, there's something with a very slight scent of Kris' father in there," he explained. "I don't think it's the present, it smells far too weak, but it's the only lead we have."

"So…" Mr Fox mused. "My son could be behind this or he might not be. Regardless, the one way to find out would involve a quick pick of the lock, an examination of the internal contents of the cupboard, and then the sealing of it up again with him none the wiser. We either find the missing gift or absolve my son. Thankfully I'm already halfway up to his room, so I'll finish my drink and be on my way."

Nick nodded at first, before pausing, his ears drooping down. Settling his bottle down, he looked to Mr Fox. "You actually think Ash did it?"

Putting his down, he turned to face Nick. "No. As you said, a ninety-five…"

"-Ninety-six…"

"-Ninety-five percent chance that he's clear is in my heart. But that gives me a five-percent chance of quickly saving the day with no harm done."

"I…" Nick began, trying to find the words. Instead he sighed, nudged himself up to Mr Fox, put a paw on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "You care for your son, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"So why are you going to break his trust?" he asked, sighing. "I mean, we all sort of did it to everyone by doing this mission, but we weren't harming anyone. I may have come closer when I did the sniff check. But breaking into your son's private cabinet? Even on the slightest chance that he might be our thief, even though we both agree he wouldn't really be?"

"But he won't know."

There was a clearing of a voice from above, and the pair looked up at Kylie. "A tree falling in the forest still makes a sound. Physics…" he said, before trailing off, a confused yet philosophical look on his face.

"Kylie, are you having flashbacks?" Mr Fox panicked, standing up on the branch and holding the cider up, below the opossum's nose. "Sniff, mam. Sniff, and pull yourself back to the present. Follow the cider, and get away from the 'chili'!"

"Just contemplating," he said quietly, as Nick cleared his throat.

"I think he was trying to say that it doesn't matter if Ash learns or not. You're still breaking his trust." There was a pause, and a sigh. "After all that's happened, is that the type of father you really want to be?"

Mr Fox stood there, frozen for a second or two, before nodding. "You're right," he admitted. "But what should we do instead? How do we do this?"

"Maybe you admit there's a problem," Nick said, before smiling. "I mean, it's pretty ironic if all your attempts to save face just cover it in egg."

The air hung quietly for a second or two, before Mr Fox nodded. "Very well then," he said, shrugging. "We'll come clean with everyone, after finishing the drinks."

Nick nodded and smiled. "I can raise a glass to that," he said.

"So can I," Mr Fox agreed, before turning to Kris. "You still need a drink as we haven't given you one yet, as we've only just realized you were here. More importantly, why are you here?"

All three existing pairs of eyes were suddenly fixed on the new arrival, who shrugged. "I was spying on you."

Nick looked at him and smirked. "No points for guessing the next question."

Mr Fox nodded and turned to his nephew. "Let's start the rewind then."

.

* * *

.

"If a tree falls in a wood with nobody in it to hear, does it still make a sound?"

"Isn't the answer to that intentionally ambiguous?"

"Ambiguous as far as the basic laws of physics are, which they aren't."

"So, I'm guessing noise then."

"Yes," Kris said, smiling. "Maybe we could talk about this more later. It's very interesting."

"Yes, it is," Kylie agreed, before slipping away. Kris went the other way, quickly getting back to Mrs Fox, who was sitting down.

"Auntie, Kylie is acting odd," he said, watching her face immediately souring a little.

"As I suspected," she said. "Kylie acting odd means Freddy is up to something, and Freddy's been gone a while so I suspected he was up to something. Thanks for confirming all my suspicions."

"You're welcome," he said. "Do you want me to find out what he's up to?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes please, and thanks for always being so thoughtful."

He nodded and immediately got to work. He sneaked up, trying to listen in on the discussions going on in the nursery, but having to retreat down as mammals moved about. He thought he heard someone in the Ash's room, so he went up there, quickly deducing that the empty place was only empty now thanks to the trap door in the roof. Looking out, he observed the group as they talked, before slipping down to meet them.

.

* * *

.

Finishing his retelling, Kris looked up at the group. "So, you're trying to find a missing present?"

Mr Fox held back for a second or two before nodding. "Yes. I'm afraid to say that…" He trailed off, flubbing about with his fingers for a bit, before Nick cut in front of him.

"Now, is a present missing? Yes, yes it is. Is it your father's? I'm afraid so."

Kris blinked a few times from the news, before his ears dipped down. "That isn't good then," he said, his voice slightly worried. "I can understand why you were acting all secret then."

Mr Fox nodded. "Indeed. Coincidentally, any new ideas or insights?"

"No," Kris said, shaking his head.

"Right then," Mr Fox grumbled, before moving on to the next waiting mammal. "And what about you Ash? Any ideas?"

"No," Ash said.

"Right. And when did you get here?"

"Just now."

"And why are you here?"

The teenage kit threw his paws up in the air and gestured around. "All the cool mammals are here! You're telling me that I can't have in?"

"No, of course not," Mr Fox replied, bending forwards to lead Ash on into the centre of the group. "I'm telling you that you can have in. I'm also telling you that, in our attempts to identify and investigate the vanishing of your uncles present, we may have lightly suspected you and Kris and secretly investigated you."

"Okay then," he said, shrugging it off before sitting down. "So, what now? Are we just sitting here and drinking cider?"

Mr Fox paused, looked at Nick who gave him and nod, and then looked around at the assembled mammals. "I think that a nice cider drink, preparing ourselves before we admit our complete and total defeat, could be a very good idea. Kylie?"

"Yup," he chirped, bringing out some new bottles. They were passed around as the mammals in question settled down, lounging in the branches as they began drinking. The evening was warm, though the occasional gust of wind sent a slight chill through their fur, and they looked on as the sun set. The glowing lights of downtown and the rainforest were spread out, as the rest of the sky was painted a darkening orange by the setting sun. The odd bird called about here and there, and everyone relaxed.

"Say, son…" Mr Fox asked, looking over to Ash. "What is in your cabinet?"

Finishing his drink, the younger fox looked around a little. "It's… -Why do you want to know?" he asked, going all defensive.

"It's just that while sniffing, Nick smelt a bit of Kris' father in there."

"Oh!" he exclaimed, before relaxing. "He gave me this limited edition of Whitecape. It's that. It's definitely that."

"Yes," Kris agreed. "I remembered Dad buying it."

"Do you know what's in your father's present to my wife?" Mr Fox asked.

"I'm pretty certain, but not entirely sure… -But he wanted me to keep it secret regardless."

"To secrets then," Nick toasted, bringing up his drink. All took a swig, savoring it.

…

"The comic isn't secret."

Lazily, everyone turned to Ash, who shrugged.

"Unless you don't want spoilers."

Mr Fox shrugged, looked over to Nick, who shrugged too. They turned back to Ash, who smiled.

"It's a standalone story about Whitecape, the savior hero, being swapped with black cape. Blackcape is Whitecape from a world where people like Bellwether won, and Predators are second-class citizens. So where Blackcape comes from, he's known as a terrorist, and Whitecape has to carry on fighting for the predators."

"How bad is this place?" Kylie asked.

"All the predators have to wear special wrist locks, which drug them to calm them down if they get too excited, and then cause illnesses and stuff as a side effect. If they don't wear them, they're shot."

"That sounds bad," Kylie noted.

"Nasty place," Mr Fox agreed, before turning to Nick, raising his bottle and flashing a wink. "Thanks for sorting that out for us."

"Hey, that's what we do… -well, what I did before I was at the ZPD," Nick said, smiling.

"And if you didn't fix them there, you'd probably fix them when they started the whole drug injection thing."

Nick paused, thinking. "I'm not sure. Besides, maybe it'd be you who does all that."

"Maybe, maybe," Mr Fox contemplated, a cunning fire beginning to roar in the black of his eyes. "What would you do?"

Taking another swig of his bottle, Nick gave him an odd look. "It may sound crazy, but right now all I can think of is giving Preds a nice little place where they can take those things off and be themselves, you know? A little escape from it all… Maybe I'm still not used to the whole change the world thing, but sticking a finger up behind the bad guys back? That's totally me."

"So, a safe haven, huh?" Mr Fox mused. "What kind would it be? I mean, you'd want to go big! Something like an underground secret city, an entire society living and stealing from them! Being free, under their noses, the entire time! Children playing and happy, bountiful food, and a high standard of underground living, all while those schmucks on the surface sit around in the rain waiting for something that'll never come."

Nick looked at him and shrugged. "I'm afraid I don't share your delusions of grandeur. I was only thinking of a fun-time pred-themed amusement park."

"Was that big fun time amusement park also a funding route and start point for a whole underground city of free preds?" Foxy asked. "Or maybe just a fun side-annex to the project?"

"No," Nick noted, "though, now that I think of it, it could be the start of some underground railroad."

"Maybe that's the right course then," Mr Fox pondered. "Get them all out and away from harm."

"That sounds good," Ash said from behind. "But what about taking on the bad guys?"

"Hey, maybe that's what Whitecape-slash-Blackcape will do," Nick said, smiling. "I do the fun park, your father does the underground city, and Whitecape, with his boy wonders by his side, does the revolution! I think we'd be one cuss of a team."

Mr Fox nodded. "That we would. The cunning foxes, loaded up with guts, spunk, and crazy gadgets like the carrot pen or my drugged blueberries. The…"

He was cut off by the sound of Nick hacking and coughing, choking on his drink. Pausing, he wiped his mouth before turning to Mr Fox, an aghast look on his face. "Your _what_ blueberries?"

"Old trick of mine," he replied proudly. "Lacing a blueberry with a sleeping pill, using it as bait, and snoozing out any dangers." He smiled, giving a quick double whistle, a pair of tongue clicks and a wink.

Nick looked on, singularly unimpressed. "I am shocked, shocked I say! Excuse me a second, after hearing of that defilement to fine fruit, I may have to vacate the area." Tilting his muzzle up to an exaggerated high, he sauntered past the rest of the crowd, giving an aloof "Hmmmphh…" as he passed Mr Fox and grabbed the tree trunk, beginning to make his way down again. "I bid you adieu."

The other red fox rolled his eyes. "And to you too," he said, as he finished off his drink. He scanned around, looking at the others, before shrugging. "Let's go in and admit defeat boys," he said with a sigh. "We didn't find it."

"But I didn't even get a chance to search," Ash protested.

"Well maybe in five-ten minutes we admit defeat," Mr Fox replied, stepping up and walking over to the nearby nursery windows. He paused, and looked down. "Want to join in, Nick?"

Already too far down to climb up again, Nick looked up and shrugged. "If you apologize to the blueberries, sure."

"If you buy me a punnet, I shall."

Slowly making his way down, Nick smiled and looked back up. "You're not going to hustle me that easily."

Mr Fox peered over and gave a quick salute, before he and his posse retreated back into the trunk. Nick, his path already locked in, took a little longer to shimmy his way down. It didn't help that he was on the downhill side of the tree, so had another floor to go down.

A bit of shimmying though, and he let himself slide down the last stretch, landing on both feet. He smiled, brushed off his paws and then turned, staring right into the eyes of a very unhappy swift fox.

"Nick." Skye growled. "What was that?"


	41. Foxes and Friends 5

**Chapter 5:**

**.**

**AN: Remember when I said I'd be rushing some of these chapters out to get to the triple date before I went away for an Easter Ski Holiday?**

**Well, thanks to the magic of Corona Virus ™, I don't need to anymore!**

**Updates will remain weekly, though I still plan to have a small hiatus (maybe just a few weeks) before I launch into the full length series finale.**

**Which may be a good thing as I saw Beastars Saturday…**

**And yeah, I have a fic called Zoostars now. Go figures. That'll be updating on a looser schedule.**

**I'm also carrying on uploading my oneshots to its own drabble fics. If you haven't checked it out yet, why not? The latest one has Nick in a Slave Leia outfit!**

**But enough of me, on with the show.**

**.**

**.**

"What was what?" Nick asked, before regretting it.

"DON'T!" Skye barked, stepping forwards. Nick retreated a few steps as she began encroaching his personal steps, fruitlessly putting his paws up to try and calm her. She ignored them, the brow of her muzzle furrowing as her lower jaw dropped a little, revealing her teeth. Her tail bristled up and gave a few powerful sweeps before she stopped herself, closing her eyes and breathing out. "I wanted to trust you," she grovelled, grinding her crutch ends into the earth. "I did trust you. After all, you had changed, you said there was no more sneaking or mischief coming from you, you promised!"

"I," Nick began, before looking up the tree he'd just climbed down. "Oh…"

"Is 'Oh' all you have this time?" she asked, crossing her arms and patting the end of her good paw into the ground.

Nick was about to say the standard response to this kind of mishap, the good old 'this isn't what it looks like', before remembering that that never actually worked. So he cut it out and skipped straight ahead. "Me and a few other boys were hanging out up there," he explained.

"Then where are they?" She asked, looking up and finding nothing.

"They went inside."

"And you just happened to climb down."

"Yes," Nick replied.

"Really?" she pressed, not convinced.

"Yes really!" Nick said back. "Listen, I know me sneaking around and climbing down the outside of this house may look suspicious, but it isn't what it looks like."

"Oh, what does it look like then!?"

"I just explained it," Nick complained. "-And what it actually is." He turned away and groaned in frustration. "And always with the same response, every single time."

"You're telling me," Skye snarked, as he looked back at her. She trembled a bit in anger before releasing it in a bitter sigh, shaking her head as she did so. "I was already feeling miserable, and you just had to put salt in the wounds," she muttered, holding a paw up to silence him. "I thought you'd changed," she said, looking into his eyes, hers trembling with disappointment. "I wanted to believe you'd changed…"

"Listen, ask the others," Nick began, only for Skye to turn and march off the other way.

"I'm such an idiot," she grumbled, looking down. Were they not occupied with her crutches, Nick was certain that she'd have both paws gripping her face tightly. "I… I wanted to hope that you weren't the miserable troublemaker I knew back at school Nick, I wanted to hope that you had changed and that we could be friends. I was ready to trust you when you said, -you promised, you'd changed. You said that the old you was gone forever, but here he is again, less than an hour later!" She turned to look at him, tears in her eyes. "Just go ahead, and keep doing your sneaking around and bad stuff. Just know that next time I won't be stupid enough the think that you actually changed." She pushed forwards, speeding ahead on her crutches as she went out into the fields. Nick stepped forwards to follow her before stopping himself.

"Just because it looks like bad stuff is going on, doesn't mean it is!" he called, only for the rapidly escaping vixen to ignore him. Nick just stood where he was, looking down and rubbing his face in his paws. "Now, what would usually happen is that I'd go after her and keep trying to explain it," he narrated

…

"Which I won't do as I can just go inside, wait for her to get back, and have all my witnesses explain it to her." And so he turned to walk back in, though he couldn't help but feel down as he did so. Skye had jumped right to the worst conclusions about him, which he guessed he deserved. It wouldn't affect him in the long run, she'd very quickly be proved incorrect, everything would be fine…

So why was he still feeling down?

Sitting down at the kitchen table, he closed his eyes and thought.

…

It was because he'd disappointed her, wasn't it?

Even if it was temporary, even if it was her fault, he'd hurt her. Nick mirthfully remembered that old him didn't care at all about that stuff. Heck, he'd thought that almost everyone hated him to some degree or other. Yet now, given that he was a role model, someone that mammals looked up to, it did hurt. That was something that he took pride in, that felt good, and failing it, for whatever reason, felt bad.

Still, his words wouldn't make it better. He'd have to endure this for a little bit, no biggy after all. If only Skye could realise that sneaky or mysterious behaviour didn't mean that bad stuff was going on!

He nodded and stepped up, before his eyes widened. "Hang on," he said, patting a paw on the floor. "Hang on just a minute."

He was broken from his train of thought as the door above him opened. Looking up, he saw Mr Fox, Kylie and the boys coming down, Mr Fox pausing as he saw Nick. "Nice to meet you again, I was just talking with the partygoers for a medium length time period…"

"-You were faster down, that doesn't matter," Nick interrupted.

Mr Fox's eyes widened. "Wait, you're not going to try and claim victory?"

"No, I'm not even going to use the argument I had with Skye. It's not important right now."

"You had an argument with her?" Ash asked.

"She mistook my tree climbing for mischievousness and wasn't happy," Nick rushed out. "Of course, you guys can explain what really happened when we have the time, which we may or may not have now. Mr Fox, Foxy, did you tell the others about the missing present?"

"No," he said, a grin growing on his face. "Am I detecting a change of plan?"

Nick crossed his arms. "Don't act quite that smug yet, you didn't think of this, I did."

"Think of what, may I ask?"

"I'll explain in your office," he said, as he rushed in, the others following.

One soon leaving again and going outside.

.

Further away from the tree, in the middle of a grassy daisy covered bank, sat Skye. Crutches down, she'd curled up on her side, cosying up in on herself and relaxing.

Pulling one of the small flowers, she carefully pricked the stem, right near its end, before threading it through a similar hole in another flower. The daisy head, far bigger than the hole, got stuck, forming another link in the long chain she was making.

Another flower then came up and was threaded through, and so she went on, carefully keeping her paws occupied. She was idly thinking of whether she could do something more elaborate, like making a dreamcatcher, when her ears rose. Looking over her shoulder, she almost groaned as she saw a red fox approaching, only to realise that it wasn't Nick. "Hi Ash."

"Hi Skye," he said, wandering over. "Too noisy in there?"

Her ears lowered. "You could say that," she muttered, shivering a little. She couldn't help but look at her cast, now covered with hundreds of stranger's names, and all sorts of other odd doodles and such.

"I get what that's like," he said, sitting down next to her. "Sometimes you want some alone time." He paused, suddenly looking a little nervous. "If you want, I could go again."

"That's fine," she said, smiling. "Just don't ask to sign my cast."

He gave a solid nod in agreement. "I'm guessing that stuff might not have been exactly consensual."

"No," she groaned. "Kylie asked to sign it, then some kits who I couldn't really say no to, then a bunch of others getting up close to me and chatting and drawing these things on a cast that'll go anyway soon enough. I mean, I know it's supposed to feel good and that they want to make you feel better… It just doesn't make me feel better. All those mammals just made me feel drained, and cranky, and needing some emergency alone time."

"Nothing wrong with that," he said, shrugging.

"Thanks," she sighed. "Guess you can enjoy the quiet with me. Make the most of it while you can."

He nodded, smiling as he sat down. "You do realise that babies sleep a lot and have earlier bed times. I can have my quiet time then."

"Good point," she noted, as Ash brought out an old bit of stale bread. He threw it out into the grass, hoping to attract some birds to watch. Until then, they were both quiet for a little while, she carrying on with her daisy chain making while Ash picked the petals off of one, one at a time. She was happy there, like that, though when she saw a certain bunny jogging over she was even happier. "Hi Jack."

He stumbled up next to her before bending over, paws on his knees as he caught his breath. "Okay… I'm… not… fit… took… a… while… to… find… you…"

Her ears lowered, before she pulled him in with her arms to hug him. "Sorry there," she said. "I just really needed some emergency alone time. Especially after an argument with Nick."

"What about him?" he asked.

"He was climbing down the tree, sneaking and stuff," she sighed, before frowning. "I was already so tired and wound up when I saw him, and seeing that I was wrong, seeing that he hadn't changed… I just felt like the biggest idiot."

"Skye, your bunny is available to be petted."

She smiled a little and snuggled him up. "Thanks," she said, turning around to hug him. She sighed, relaxing as she noticed that some birds had turned up. A trio of magpies were fighting over the crust, and she enjoyed the spectacle while holding her bunny tight, cradling him. "You could be like this with the new kit in a month or so," she said, looking over at Ash.

The red fox nodded, looking at a fourth bird that was holding back scared in the bushes, before turning to her and clearing his throat. "Nick and my family were sitting up in the tree drinking cider, and he climbed down as part of a joke," he said, raising a finger.

Skye looked at him and blinked a few times, speechless.

Jack wasn't. "OVERPETTING! OVERPETTING! CAN'T BREATH!"

She looked down and let go of him, before looking away, burying her face in her paws. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" she cried. "I'm such an idiot!" She gave the side of her head a few whacks, before sniffing. "I thought I'd been an idiot, now I'm even more of an idiot! And I hurt Nick, because I was stupid and mad and didn't want to listen, because I'm an idiot!"

Jack wandered over, despite a slight groan of pain, and patted her side, only getting a cold shoulder back. She was too far gone even for that. Instead, the jackrabbit looked up at Ash and frowned. "You could have given a warning."

"What," he asked. "Say, 'well if you think you're an idiot now, wait until you hear this?' That just makes it even worse!"

"I didn't say it was for her!" he said, only to pause as Skye turned to him.

"Oh gosh, I hurt you too!" she despaired, though she was stabilised a bit as Jack marched right into her stomach, her arms feebly reaching to stroke him. She paused, looking up at Ash, before looking down again.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't think you need to be sorry to me," Ash replied, shrugging. "I mean, I really like Nick. He's cool. But you made a mistake, you didn't realise that he was spending tonight helping my father track down a missing present."

"A missing…" she began, looking up. Her face winced again. "And so I screamed at him after he was helping out," she said mirthfully, before reaching for her crutches. "I'd better make this right then. Come on Jack, time to go."

He slipped out from her and helped her up, and together they began making their way back to the house. "I'm sorry," she said again.

Ash shrugged. "You made a guess, it was wrong," he said, looking up. He fidgeted with his sweat bands a little before carrying on. "Not the biggest mistake in the world."

She nodded, looking down at him and smiling. "Thanks," she said, as they carried on. "To make it up, I could help out with the search."

"Sure," Ash said. "I thought you might ask that. I thought you might be upset too." He then stuck a paw into his pocket and brought out a cookie. "So I brought this."

Skye looked at it and smiled. "You know, that's much nicer than lots of scribbles on my cast. Thanks." She stopped where she was, freeing a paw to take the cookie and munch on it, while Jack walked up to Ash.

…

"I only brought one."

"Aaahhhh," he moaned, before looking away. "By the way, how big is this present?"

"Photo album sized."

"I'll be happy to join in the search too!" he announced.

Ash nodded. "You can help Skye up the stairs."

She paused, before nodding. "Guess you can help me with that," she said, before offering down the remaining half of her cookie. He smiled and walked up to it, only for her to pull it up above his paw height. She smirked a bit as she led him around for a second or two, before he crossed his paws and looked at her.

"Skye," he lectured. "I am not some simple pet, to be led around with the promise of treats."

She smiled and passed it down to him. "I was just curious if that would work," she smirked, before grabbing her crutches again and taking off, the two boys following her.

Jack frowned and looked back at her, finishing off the cookie. "It was a one-time only thing, and don't you forget it!"

"Suuureee," she chirped, feeling a lot better now. "Again, thanks for that," she said to Ash.

"No worries."

She smiled. "Guess you're practicing for when you're a big brother."

He shrugged, before smiling a little as the three of them entered the kitchen, arriving to find Nick, Foxy, Kylie and Kris waiting for them. The Fox cop in particular was looking very proud of himself, only for that to be cut out as the mechanic vixen spoke his name.

"Nick?"

"Skye," he asked, turning to face her. "Now, if you ask these kind mammals…"

"I know," she cut in, scooting up next to him before hanging her head in shame. "I am so sorry for jumping to conclusions like that. I am so sorry, that after all you've done and all you've helped mammals, that I still judged you as the mammal that I used to know. I'm sorry that I jumped to conclusions, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you… and I'm sorry for hurting you."

She kept on looking down, only to jolt a bit as a paw landed on her shoulder. "Skye," Nick began. "I was only hurt because I hurt you, okay…"

"But it…" she began, only to be cut off.

"We did a dumb thing! Whoopsie, we all do," he said, before smiling a little. "Besides, these good mammals don't have our kind of history, do they?"

She blinked a few times, before smiling a bit.

"In any case, we've got you to thank for solving the mystery!"

"Huh?"

Nick smiled. "Just because it looks malicious doesn't mean it is," he explained. "It applies to me, and then I realised it could apply to our missing present too. A bit of logical thinking, and I think I know where to find it!" He looked around at everyone, before waving onwards. "Vamoose, gentlemammals."

And, with that, everyone followed him, Skye and Jack bringing up the rear. They quickly slipped through the main room and followed Nick to Mr Fox's master bedroom, opening it up. He took a few strides in, only to freeze in shock, as did everyone else as they filed in.

"Uhhh…" Nick began, not sure what to say.

Mr Fox looked around for a second or two, surveying the scene. "I think the words we're looking for is what-on-earth-happened-to-my-master-bedroom!?"

The same question was on everyone's tongue as they looked on at the heaping mess that covered the entire floor. It was as if some concentrated being of pure energy had gone around turning each and every item it could find over, emptying all the storage spaces and overturning a good chunk of the furniture too.

And then Judy burst out of one of the clothes piles, panting. "Okay, I'm pretty sure that it's not in this room, but I might have missed something. Maybe you guys can do a second look while I move to the next room up!"

…

"Carrots?" Nick asked, stepping forwards.

"Don't worry Nick," she said, running up to him. "We're going to find this thing. Now if…"

"Calm down Fluff, I've worked it out!"

"-we're going to save the day, we need to double our efforts and…"

Sighing, Nick grabbed the back of her head and pushed her right into his chest to cut her off, not that she kept trying.

"-MMMmmmmppphhhhhh…"

"Okay, breather there," he said, pulling her back out. She took a deep breath in and looked around. "Sorry there. Just panicking, trying to save the day…"

"I've worked it out," Nick said again, finally getting her attention.

Judy breathed a sigh of relief, before slumping down. "Oh… Good…"

Nodding, the fox stepped back, before looking up at the mess she'd made searching for the missing present. Finally out of her panicked state, she did too, looking around awkwardly. "Errr…"

"Effort, ten-out-of-ten," Nick commended. "Now, may I ask why you were searching for something you shouldn't have known was missing?" He looked back to Mr Fox, who began his rewinding motions as Judy spoke.

.

* * *

.

Waiting her turn, Judy finally got to the front of the queue, grabbing an orange pen and drawing a smiley carrot on Skye's cast. "There you go," she said, smiling as she patted it. Her enthusiasm waned a little as she looked up at the swift fox vixen, who didn't look quite as optimistic. Rather, she looked more stressed out, her top two canines biting her bottom lip while she held Jack tight. "Need anything else Skye?"

"-No-thanks."

"You sure?"

"Yep," she quipped, before nervously turning to the next mammal adding their signature. Feeling that it was best to back off, Judy did just that, moving out into the open just as she saw a whole line of mammals come out from the stairs. Mr Fox, Kris, Ash and Kylie. She paused though as she noticed no Nick. In fact, where was her fox? She walked over, picking out the opossum to speak to. "Hi, have you seen Nick anywhere?"

"We were just drinking cider up on one of the branches, he's going down the external route."

Her nose twitched a few times. "Okay… I guess? Anything else you lot were doing?"

"Just a failed search for Dr Silverfox's mysteriously vanished present. It was highly sentimental."

Judy blinked a few times. "What do you mean mysteriously vanished?"

"It's gone, and why it's gone is a mystery. We're giving it five before calling quits and roping in everyone's help."

"Right then," Judy murmured as he walked away. "Five minutes… -I bet I can find it in four!"

.

* * *

.

Rewind over, all eyes were trained on the opossum, especially Nick's. "Didn't I ask you if you'd told anyone?"

"No, you asked Foxy."

"He's got you there," Mr Fox agreed, the rest of the witnesses nodding along. Even Nick saw the funny side, rolling his eyes before looking down at Judy.

"Sadly, he set Miss Energizer Bun-Bun off, didn't he?"

She smiled nervously, before looking around at the mess she caused, deflating. Eyes in her paws, ears over them, she grunted. "I think I got a bit too carried away…"

Nick, and everyone else for that matter, gave a set of synchronised nods.

"Sorry for being such a dumb bunny," she said.

"Hey," Nick interrupted. "It's the thought that counts."

"It's also not your mess," she said guiltily, looking up to Mr Fox. "I'll clean it up," she promised, paw over her hearts.

He looked down at her before smiling. "Or maybe we could all dig in and help tidy this up…"

"-But I've already cleaned rooms!" Jack butted in, complaining. "Haven't I done enough, it's not like I caused the mess in this one?"

"You're right, Jack," Judy began, only for Skye's paw to shut her off. The Swift Fox vixen looked down at her boyfriend, a cunning smirk on her muzzle.

"This is doing more Jack," she pointed out, "besides, I've got the most excuse to not chip in."

He was quiet for a second or too, giving some silent grumbles, before she leant down and whispered in his ear.

Both of them shot upwards, his eyes wide. "Right, let's get to work!"

"Yup," Mr Fox said, "before we have any more unforeseen interruptions."

He dusted his paws, only to flinch down as an ominous BANG shook the room. Everyone shied their eyes away, before tenderly looking up, gulping as they saw a very irate looking Mrs Fox staring daggers at all of them; before turning them all onto her husband, naturally. "If…" she began, before shaking her head. "I don't even know what's happening here Foxy. You're going to tell me what's happening right now, so I can see if I need to be madder or not."

Her husband, unfazed, stood up to her. "Your brother-in-law's present went missing and I decided to secretly retrieve it, recruiting Nick and Kylie in for the job, which we soon failed at, Kris and Ash learning so; then Nick had an epiphany, he led us here, where Judy, having also learnt of the problem, was doing her best to solve it."

…

"Okay," she began, "I'm not mad now. -Wasn't expecting that." She paused a few times, before her eyes widened a little. "William's present is gone?"

"Completely vanished without a trace," Mr Fox explained.

"Oh god," she muttered, wincing over. Her husband stepped over to hold her, and she held back.

"Now, observe Exhibit B, this kind of emotional response is why I wanted to keep it a secret."

"What's Exhibit A?" Ash asked.

Nick held up Judy's paw in response.

The teen fox nodded. "Got it."

"I… I understand now," Felicity said quietly, looking up again into his eyes. A paw came up onto his shoulder and she smiled. "Thanks, I guess… -But who'd take that present? Why would they want to do such a thing?"

Her ears rose as Nick spoke up, a smug look on his muzzle. "Well, here's the thing, no one did."

"Nick?" Judy asked, confused.

The fox cop smiled, before suddenly walking straight into the en-suite bathroom and out again with the present held in his paws. Everyone's jaws seemed to hit the floor, eyes were wide, and the same question was on everyone's mind.

"What was it doing in there?" Mrs Fox asked.

"Well," Nick began, looking around. "When we all start cleaning up this mess, I'll explain it as we work."

And so they did, quickly undoing the damage that Judy's frantic search had done, the red fox narrating as he went. "We all assumed that someone had some dark reason for taking the present and hiding it. It made sense at first. But, after talking to all the suspects, none had a real drive or motive strong enough to do that. We were at a loss, no hope of finding our culprit left, until a series of strange events led to an agitated Skye mistakenly believing that I was up to no good. I tried to say that just because something looks bad, it doesn't mean it is, not that she listened to me. Thankfully, though, I did, and then it hit me. Who's to say that our present thief had any bad intentions too?"

"But what other intentions would you have for taking a present?" Judy asked.

"Who's to say they thought it was a present," Nick said. "It took a bit more thinking, before I realised just who took it."

"Who?"

Nick smiled, before glancing at Mr Fox. "Rewind please."

Mr Fox did just that.

.

.

.

**AN: That's right, we're ending it here. But can any of you guess how the book ended up there? Feel free to comment and see you all next week.**


	42. Foxes and Friends 6

**Chapter 6**

.

**AN: So here we are, about to find out who-dunnit in the final chapter of this episode. There have been a good few guesses, but let's see who's right or wrong. Things have been hectic as of late with everything going on, but I've got into a good place to wait it out, best of luck to all of you guys too. But, for now, enjoy the conclusion to this highly eventful baby shower.**

.

.

.

**Earlier that evening.**

.

Badger nodded, still not quite convinced about Judy's assurances to keep Mr Fox out of trouble, and then stepped away from the table. As he did so though he jolted, frowning as a weak voice piped up. "Have you seen my box?"

Badger frowned. "No," he said, looking down. "Phil. While you may be legally blind, please look where you're going."

"I'm sorry," the small mole croaked. "I'm just pacing. I need the bathroom, and the queue is long."

"You know," Judy offered. "The en-suite upstairs is open. I can take you there."

He raised his little black muzzle up as he tried to look Judy in the face, and he spoke up, pointing straight forwards to Badger. "I want my independence and dignity. Don't hit me with your culture of low expectations," he said, before walking off. He looked around, his teeth grinding a little. Where did he put it, where did he put it?

"Ah, there you are," he said, making out the shape of his box. Walking over to grab it off of the pile it was on, he couldn't help but feel that it was far heavier than before. Not sure why that would be though. Regardless, he walked over to the stairs and began using it to help him up as he went. As the bunny had said, the upstairs bathroom wasn't in demand, so inside he went. Placing the box against a shelf, he did his business before climbing up onto the sink to wash his paws.

As he did so, his eyes widened. "I left you by that chair, didn't I!"

Drying them off, he walked back out to reclaim his real box, the present left waiting inside.

.

* * *

.

**Back in the present.**

.

"So," Nick concluded, as everyone put away the last of the displaced items. "No bad guy!"

"And, though there was a slight increase of those aware of the problem, our issue is still under control," Mr Fox concluded. "So, I think that's a win all around."

His wife smiled. "Now that it's over, I must say that this was a very fun baby shower. One for the memory books certainly."

Judy nodded, breathing a sigh of relief as she put the last folded shirt back onto its shelf. "Yes. All wrapped up nicely." She looked on, noticing Jack and Skye working too, the jackrabbit seemingly putting his whole back into it. The last few bits were put away and, finally, everyone began making their way down.

"Any idea what she said to get him to do that, miss wonder ears?" Nick asked, coming up to his bunny. He smiled smugly as she blushed, before shaking his head. "On second thoughts, I think I have a good idea."

"Yup," she noted, her voice clipped. "Unless you know anywhere else where she hasn't groomed him before." They carried down a little bit in silence, before she spoke again. "Well done, I'm proud of you."

His mouth piqued a little, and he looked down at her, almost unsure.

"What?" she said, joyfully. She gave him a pat on the arm before grabbing his paw. "You did all that to help out, and you solved the case. Great job."

He relaxed, a smile growing on his face. "Thanks. It was nothing, just some sneaking about and such."

"Well, it's that kind of sneaking that I love you for, isn't it?" she said.

He looked down at her, his smile growing, before pulling her into a hug. "Just like I love you for your crazy do-good energy miss room wrecker," he said, before leaning down to kiss her on the top of her head.

She shivered slightly, before holding back until they were on the stairs going down, using the height advantage to reach the back of his jaw and returning the favor.

"Maybe we should find somewhere private," he said, as she smiled back.

"Maybe I could treat you when we get back home," she suggested warmly, grabbing Nick's paw and working a finger around his central pad.

His fur stood up on end a little, and he looked down at Judy smugly. "As you wish."

"As do you," she said, as they all came out into the living room. Judy and Nick watched Mr Fox slip down the present onto the pile where it came from, the bunny also looking over and making sure that Phil the mole was holding onto his actual box. She sighed with relief, before snuggling up next to him. "Phew… Yeah, do stuff at home, I'm still a bit too stressed out from my emergency search right now," she admitted, holding her new necklace tight.

"Still fizzling with justice energy I see," he smirked.

"Yeah, though it was more justice stress," she admitted. "I just got so worked up then, just thinking about how it was stolen, and all the things ever stolen… I could imagine some evil people stealing the book, -well, I guessed it was a book, out of a safe and tearing it up to take away. I had to do something, so much so I just rushed into it, again…" She sighed at the admission, gathering the concern of Nick. Before he could speak though, he noticed Kris coming over, the silver fox smiling.

"You know, I could help with that. I practice meditation, and I could teach you guys it."

Judy looked up and nodded. "Okay then. That sounds great! Are you in too, Nick?"

"To keep you going too overboard, certainly," he agreed. "It may be short notice, but how about tomorrow, two pm?" he asked Kris.

"I'm free," Judy said.

"So am I," Kris agreed. They quickly agreed on a place to meet up, before parting ways again. It was then Skye and Jack's turn to come up to them.

"About earlier," she began. "Would you still be interested in meeting those two friends or ours?"

"The hyena and red panda?" Nick asked, before looking down at Judy. "Well, if Fluff here is…"

"Sure, it sounds great!"

"-Which it will be, so why not?"

"Yeah," Skye said happily.

"Better share details, find out a time or place," Judy said. "Anything you might want to do?"

Skye paused, ever conscious of her bad foot paw. "I'm not sure."

"I could probably work something out," Nick said, thinking. "What about those two?"

"I'd have to ask them."

"-You could watch my dress rehearsal."

There was a pause, as all eyes turned to Jack.

"What, it's on tomorrow at six, and it needs a small audience for participation. You could watch it, then we could go out."

They all turned to each other and nodded in agreement, all agreeing on it then and there.

And so, with a meditation lesson and a triple date planned for the next day, Nick and Judy could just chill out for the rest of the night, together.

Were it not for Kylie asking for Nick to go down to the office, that was.

.

Opening the door, Nick looked around for a second or two before leaning forwards, switching on the light switch and revealing Mr Fox in his chair, microphone on his lap desk just as before. The older vulpine frowned a bit and picked up the microphone, speaking into it. "You're ruining the effect, you know?"

"Do I know that?" Nick smirked, sitting down at the waiting chair. "Yes, yes I do."

"Right then," Mr Fox agreed, before pulling out a remote control and plunging the room into darkness.

"Huh?"

With a click, the desk lamp came on, revealing Mr Fox in his chair, complete with a lap desk and microphone. He held it and spoke into it, smiling as he did so. "So, the day is saved, thanks in no small part to you."

Nick relaxed a bit and shrugged. "Well, there was help from some other fine vulpines."

"There most certainly was."

"Indeed, who could think that one angry vixen could lead to such inspiration," Nick teased, Mr Fox taking it in good humor.

"Someone who's been married to one for fifteen years," Mr Fox countered. "Though keep in mind that this debrief is mostly in your honor."

Nick settled back, smiling. "I think I shall."

"Good," Mr Fox said, leaning forwards. "This was an enlightening and invigorating experience, having to go toe to toe with another highly talented vulpine as we pursued a common cause. Along with deciphering the mystery of the missing present, I also believe that this operation turned out to be a highly effective bonding exercise, in which we came to appreciate each other's talents, viewpoints and styles."

"I'lldrink to that – if you have any more of that cider, of course."

Mr Fox gave a smug smile before opening up a drawer in his desk, bringing out a new pair of bottles. Both Nick and Mr Fox took one, undid the tops, and clinked them together before taking a long swig.

"Aaaah," Nick said. "Good thing that Judy's driving."

"Yup," Mr Fox agreed, before putting his drink down. He kept his gaze fixed on Nick, to the point where it started to become uncomfortable.

The fox cop paused, tilting his head slightly. "I know this job was fun, and we may make a pretty good team, but if you've got another job it'll have to wait a little bit."

Mr Fox nodded along. "Well, maybe not so much a job, more a reward…"

"Is it the supplier of this stuff?" Nick asked with a smile.

"No," Mr Fox replied, trailing off a bit at the end. Nick put his drink down, his eyes narrowing as he studied the other vulpine. He was up to something… "It might be something a bit bigger."

"I'm fine, thanks," Nick replied, waving Mr Fox off.

"Let me rephrase that, something very big."

Nick paused, his ears lowering slightly. "It was just a little help," he said. "If you really want, a keg of that cider would do for tonight."

"Well, it's not just for tonight."

Nick paused, before smiling. "Mr Fox, if you're referring to my help with Ash…"

"Which I am."

"Then that was what I do in the ZPD," he said, "and the ZPD does have a few rules about rewards and stuff. Irritating, I know, but…"

"-Mind if I start over," Mr Fox interrupted, Nick pausing before nodding in agreement. The older vulpine smiled but fidgeted slightly, looking down at his microphone before picking it up and dropping it on the floor, a squeal ringing out.

"Oooh, mic drop," Nick noted.

"Yes," Mr Fox said frankly. More frankly than Nick had ever heard him before. The fox cop looked forwards, into the other fox's eyes, and saw them tinge slightly with sadness and worry and all sorts of other things he wouldn't expect from the otherwise all-confident fox. "I think that was warranted," he said, before breathing out. "Nick, when I heard that my son had almost killed himself, it was the greatest shock in my life. As far as I knew, everything was fine, everything was good, and then everything was turned upside down and I realised that I knew nothing. Nothing, other than the fact that it could have been worse. The only reason it wasn't was because of you.

"Because of you, I could go back and learn about the mistakes I didn't even know I'd made and fix them. I realised that I'd been failing, and set about to succeed. I love my son, but I took that for granted, just like I took the idea that he loved me for granted. Now I know better and always keep an eye out, I always try and show it, and it seems to be working. Things will be okay for him, and for my new kit as well. A new kit who wouldn't have his big brother were it not for the fox sitting in front of me. The fox who my son looks up to, the fox who saved the city, the fox who could make a pretty damn good partner if the need ever arose. More than a partner, even. Nicholas Wilde, my family will forever be in your debt, and all we can offer you in return is the invitation to be a part of it. You, Nicholas Wilde, will always be a member of our family."

Nick looked on, paws over his heart, and nodded. He then let a warm smile grow on his muzzle. "To be there, as a family friend… I like the sound of that reward."

Mr Fox smiled, before raising a finger. "An official member of the family, not just a mere friend."

Nick looked on, his mouth piquing a little. "Well, I could think of one way of making that happen, but my mother really isn't Dr Silverfox's type you know."

Mr Fox snorted a little before shaking his head. "Unusual option, creative, but not quite what I had in mind."

"Which is?" Nick asked.

"You're going to like this."

"You're going to drag this out, aren't you?"

"Naturally."

Nick smiled back. "Well, you have to hype up your Fox family membership certificate, don't you?" Closing his eyes in a warm smile, Nick opened them again, and saw Mr Fox looking at him, his face etched with sincerity.

"As I said before, you helped our current son and you'll almost certainly look out over him and my new kit, being a role model that they will always look up to. You're the kind of mammal that will care for them, protect them, and love them, even though they're not your own. Which is why I'd like you to be my new kit's godfather."

…

"I…" Nick began, before his throat hitched.

He was speechless.

He felt overwhelmed and unworthy and scared and full on blindsided, but as the shock receded and he looked into Mr Fox's confidant eyes, shining confidence at himself, he swallowed it down. He closed his eyes, took a breath in, and let other feelings rise up. Surprise and joy and hope and one more than any other.

He leant forwards and took Mr Fox's paw. "It would be an honour."

.

.

Back up in the main room, Judy smiled as Nick and Mr Fox emerged, looking up as her boyfriend walked over. She couldn't help but see the giddy happiness on his face. He looked like he'd just been given access to a swimming pool full of blueberries. "Guess you heard some good news then," she said, smiling.

Despite his joy, he managed to pull down a sly mask. "Yup."

"And what is it exactly?"

"Oh, you'll see," he said, as they turned to see Kris and his father walk up to a waiting Felicity. The teenage silver fox went first, giving his aunt a small present which she carefully unwrapped, revealing a homemade baby book, beautiful little images painted onto the cardboard. She smiled as she looked through it.

"I remember you reading it to me over the phone," she said, looking at her nephew.

"I remember my mom reading the original," he said. Felicity nodded, before looking down and stroking her baby bump, reading from the book as she did so.

"_Little foxes, with their bushy tails,_

_little foxes, with their pointy ears,_

_little foxes, across the world,_

_little foxes, all different types._

_There's a sandy one, in the desert,_

_With his big ears, he's a fennec._

_There's a white one, near the north pole,_

_Brown in the summer, she's an arctic._

_._

_And in Africa, there are tan ones,_

_With many different types._

_Like the fennec, they have big ears,_

_But they're not all the same._

_There's a cape one, and a pale one,_

_And even the __Rüppell's fox._

_And in Arabia, there's the Blanford's fox,_

_And all have bushy tails._

_._

_And in Asia you have more foxes,_

_They all have sandy coats,_

_And little kits that love to play,_

_Every single day._

_There's a Tibetan fox, with a square face,_

_Who lives near the corsac fox._

_While in India, there's a Bengal fox,_

_All with bushy tails._

_._

_And in America, there's the swift fox,_

_And his friend, the kit fox,_

_And in Europe and everywhere,_

_You can find the red fox too._

_But sometimes, his fur is grey,_

_And sometimes it is white,_

_Or it's many colours, or marbled,_

_But all have bushy tails._

_._

_Little foxes, little foxes,_

_All across our big wide world._

_Little foxes, little foxes,_

_With pointy ears, and fluffy tails._

_They all have kits, that love to play,_

_And love to pounce, and dig things up._

_Every single day._

_Little foxes, little foxes,_

_Different colours, but all the same."_

_._

Nick looked down and smiled as he saw Judy bring her paws to her heart, gushing over the cuteness of it all. He and she looked over, spotting some of the pretty illustrations that Kris had painted or drawn on.

Then Kris's father walked up and handed over his present. Holding it with great care and attention, Felicity slowly unwrapped the paper to reveal a hard-covered sketchbook.

"So, it was a book," Judy noted, Nick looking down. "I imagined it was one… -though I also imagined a silver fox head cut-out on the front for some reason."

Felicity, meanwhile, ran a pad along it and peaked in closer, only to freeze. She sniffed a few times, holding back the tears, before she came in close with her nose, taking some deep breaths. "It still smells like her," she whispered, her eyes glistening. Opening it up, she gasped as she saw the pencil drawings or paintings done within. There were plenty of ones with motorbikes or cars to begin with, along with a fair few pretty vixens, but as she went through the pages a familiar face began appearing. Dr Silverfox looked far younger and healthier in them, unhurt by the ravages of time, grief and illness. But, as she filtered through further, a new face appeared. A tiny grey cub, his first appearance being cradled by his mother, the self-portrait showing her in her hospital bed and gown alongside her mate. More sketches followed, showing the tiny kit grow up into a toddler, before ending with a shining photograph of the young family. Tears trickled down Felicity's eyes, her husband hugging her side, while her brother in law leant in and pulled the page over. She gasped as she saw a new picture, the style change evident, which showed Dr Silverfox and Kris. There was another of the teenage fox and his cousin, before the next page held a small bit of writing. '_Dear Felicity. I hope these memories serve you well, as they have done me. In the future, you need only ask and I or my son will be glad to carry on adding to them. Love, your brother.'_

"Thank you," she whispered, gently putting the book down before stepping up to hold him tight.

He patted her back, before she settled down, a paw rubbing her bump.

Mr Fox, standing up, nodded and spoke out. "I'd like to thank you all for coming today, and for all your generosity. You all have our thanks. On behalf of my new kit, his or her parents, brother, cousin, uncle and, as of today, godfather." He pointed over to where Nick was standing, several gasps coming from the crowd as he nodded his head, before they began clapping.

Judy naturally trying to beat them all. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh!" she buzzed, ecstatic.

Nick looked at her and smirked, about to make a witty comment but receiving a high-pressure bun hug around the waist before he could manage. He turned down and stroked her ears a few times, before looking up and smiling. "What can I say, our host has taste."

.

The rest of the evening went quickly, Skye and Jack coming over to congratulate him. Skye in particular was ever sincere, and, when she left, she told Nick that she was deeply looking forward to meeting them again. Farewells were given, paws were shook, and the bunny and fox duo got in their car and began making their way home.

"So, Mr Godfather," Judy said, glancing at him as she drove. "How does it feel?"

"How did it feel when you became a godmother?" he asked.

"So, pretty amazing then," she said, nodding at him before turning her eyes back to the road. Slipping through Nick's neighbourhood, she couldn't help but sigh as she remembered what became of the mammal who made her into a godparent.

She breathed out. If little Judy or Fru Fru ever needed any help at all, she would be there for them. She'd make sure of it.

And so, they arrived home, Nick letting them in as they settled down. It was too late to do anything other than get ready for bed, and Judy reflected on that as she dumped her things onto his couch.

The godfather's couch, she noted, spotting him turn a corner, his tail flicking out as he did so. He was the fox that had swindled her, and insulted her, and tried to make her life a pain. But he'd turned around for her, reformed for her, tortured himself for her and saved her life. Saved many lives, to the point where a family was going to trust him to help raise their new kit, and help out their older one. A family who trusted him on their very own little mission.

And through it all, her boyfriend was sweet and kind and funny. He'd been there and helped out, solving today's mystery, much more effectively than she had she noted.

He was amazing, and then and there she realised how much she loved him. How much she cared for him. How much she loved his smile and wit and touch and his big bushy tail. How much she loved her fox, her boyfriend, and how much she wanted him. She may have started this relationship out to see how it went, she may have only just begun to really enjoy it, but she was a goner now.

A complete and total one.

Her fox filled her mind, filled her soul, and she felt herself crave and itch for him. She wanted him, then and there, and nothing could stop her anymore.

Stripping all her clothes off, bar her crop top and underwear, she walked up to his bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Just a sec and I'll be out."

"Good," she said, "as I want to see my foxer in his boxers."

…

The door opened, and Nick looked out, blinking at the site of Judy before a mischievous grin grew on his face. "Hello there."

"Hello," she said back, leaning forward to stroke up the front of his one item of clothing with the back of her paw.

His body shook a little, his tail bristling out behind him. "You really want this?" he asked, beginning to breath faster.

"Are we the best dressed mammals in all of Zootopia?" she asked, as she breathed in, picking up his musk.

Nick saw it and cradled the back of her head, pushing it deep into his belly fur and smushing it around. "Maybe not today," he gasped, as she pushed her body forwards and up. "But for next time, I know a place that sells some real -LONG stockings! Oh that was sly, my sly bunny."

"You know you love me," came her fox muffled voice. She broke off from him and looked up into his eyes, both sharing the same longing, hungry, untameable, untrappable, lust filled predatory look.

There was no hope of holding back.

Not any more.

He slipped a paw beneath her rear, pinching her tail as he prepared to carry her off and smiling as he did so. "Oh, do I…"


	43. Meditation Mediation

**FFoZ S1E17**

**Meditation mediation.**

**.**

**AN: The A03 version includes a fun bit of art by Giftheck. If you're looking for a quick commission, feel free to contact him, he's available and wanting.**

.

Walking out across the park, Nick and Judy paused and waved as they caught sight of three young foxes, plus a fourth mammal. The vulpines, Ash, Kris and Agnes, saw them and quickly made their way over.

"Thanks for inviting us," Judy said, smiling at Kris.

"It's nothing. In fact, I'm happy to share these skills with others."

Judy nodded and turned to shake Agnes' paw. It was her first time meeting her and she had to admit that she was a very pretty young vixen; she had white deer-doe like spots, along with a narrow brown denim dress with white blossoms patterned in. She was about to compliment her on her looks when Nick broke her off.

"I guess that explains your wooly friend back there," he commented, noticing a teenage ewe, wearing a loose fitting blue dress big enough to cover her thick wool, walk up, her eyes going wide as she saw them.

"Yeah," Agnes said, looking over. "This is…"

"-Maisy!" the ewe butted in before pausing. "Maisy…" She glanced over at Kris and Ash, shying away a little. "You said you were friends with them, but I didn't really…" She trailed off nervously, before Kris smiled.

"Well, we are, and I'm helping them with a meditation lesson. I invited you along as…"

"-Yup, stressed, schoolwork," she rushed out, trembling a little as she paused to look at Nick and Judy, acting more like they were in their dress blues than their casual wear. "Hi there. Thanks for the night howlers and everything, you-you really helped my foxy friends, I'm very grateful -not-that-I-was-hurt-more-than-they-were… I'm just a sheep, after all, not trying to take the camera away, or..."

"My camera's on my phone," Nick interrupted, making her pause. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out. "Still got it, and don't worry, we're all on team 'be nice to all mammals.'"

Maisy blinked a few times, before Judy stepped out. "Hey, don't worry… I know some mammals began picking on sheep after all that happened," she said. "But just because we solved the nighthowler case doesn't mean we're one of them. I know that some mammals don't like sheep, I've had to deal with some, but one of my oldest and best friends back out in Bunny Burrow is a ewe."

"Oh… uhhh," she said, before taking in a breath and letting it out, settling down.

"Besides," Nick added. "We know you're nothing like the Ewe of Doom."

There was a guffaw from Agnes. "That's a new one."

"Yup," Nick said, looking down. "We know…"

"-Uh, hang on!" Maisy stammered, pulling out her phone. She opened it up and scanned through, before looking up again. "I've got to go. -Responsibilities! So sorry."

"Do you have to?" Agnes asked, as Judy took a worried step forwards, only just managing to halt herself.

"I'm sorry," she said, before turning, waving and heading off.

.

.

…

"I'm highly suspicious about those responsibilities," Ash began, as Judy sighed.

"I know my friend Sharla got shouted at once," she said sadly, glancing over to the retreating sheep. "Was it bad for her?"

Ash scowled a little. "One mammal liked to rub it in – a lot."

"She seemed fine after it turned out to be those weird bad guys," Kris elaborated. "But maybe seeing you struck a nerve? I'll catch up with her tomorrow."

"That might work, but shouldn't we help her now?" Judy asked, as Nick came up and put a paw on her shoulder.

"Give her some space for now. Just like that honey badger, we can be there for her when she's ready for us."

Judy paused, unsure for a bit, before trying but not quite settling down. "Okay then. When she's ready," she said, looking up at Kris. "You can talk to her tomorrow?"

"Sure thing."

"That's good," she said, still a bit unsure.

Kris smiled. "I think we're all a bit put off, but some meditation can take our mind off of it. That's why we're here, after all."

The group nodded, Agnes quickly sending a comforting text, before they head off together. The four foxes and one bunny enjoyed the park as they looked for a place to sit down, soon finding one beneath some trees and in front of a small pond. They all settled down, ready to begin.

"Again, thanks for inviting us," Judy said, looking up at Kris as the young fox walked past.

"It was nothing," he replied, finding a spot. Agnes settled down next to him, the red fox's tail sweeping back and forth.

"Even with the hiccup with Maisy, It was nice meeting you," she said, smiling. "And we get to spend the day together, so you're not a burden or anything."

"Not a burden _yet,_" Nick said, settling down with Ash next to him.

"Well it's not as if teaching meditation is much of an effort," Kris said with a shrug.

"No," Judy said eagerly. "And don't you worry, your students will be giving one-hundred-and-ten percent."

"Apologies for my bunny's lack of mathematical ability there," Nick joked, "but you get the gist."

"-Actually," Ash pointed out, "it depends if your baseline is a total capacity or average output."

"Or she was just using a figure of speech," Agnes added.

"Or that," Ash stated.

"Well, either way, I'll be giving everything I can give," she said.

"That's good," Kris said, "but not quite the right mindset."

"Huh? How isn't it?"

The silverfox smiled and looked over. "Meditation isn't really something that you push yourself towards so, counter intuitively, trying your hardest might make it harder."

Judy blinked a few times. "That doesn't make sense."

"It's about letting yourself go," he explained. "It's similar to drifting off to sleep. You need to let yourself slowly detach from the outside world, letting your bonds to it drift away. You let your mind empty and float, and when you come back you're at peace."

"Okay then," Judy agreed, before her mouth tweaked a bit. "So, the humming or leg position helps with that? How?"

"When letting yourself go, it often helps to have something to focus on. You latch onto it to release yourself from the outside world, then you let it go. Think of it like a swimming float in a pool."

"Oh, okay," she said, before moving to cross her legs in a lotus position. "Yeah, this is taking a lot of effort," she said, focusing on it. Her long legs and thicker calf muscles were making it tricky for her. "Come on," she said, not seeing Nick's growing smirk.

"Carrot's sensitivity to being called cute, test one," he said.

"Huh?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Science," he replied, "the thing works." He also looked down, bending his shorter and thinner legs into position. "There, that was…"

"Eeeep!" He looked over to see that Judy had gotten her legs into position, but in doing so unbalanced herself and tipped over onto her back. Reaching out with her arms, she pushed herself upright again. "Okay, this feels familiar, like a stretching exercise at the academy."

"Carrots, I thought we were here to destress?"

"Just because you're not a fan of exercise, doesn't mean I'm not," Judy countered.

"Well in a lot of cases the stretch gives you that internal thing to to focus on," Kris explained. "But the position and everything isn't required. It's just one way of doing it."

"Well, glad to know before I sat like this for an hour," Nick noted, unfurling his legs. "Can I sit up against that tree too?"

"Sure."

Nick smiled and slid his way backwards, leaning against a tree. "Ahhh… Feeling more tuned out already."

"Good to hear."

"Yup," Nick agreed. "You know, if this was some cheap little comedic story, I'd have spent an hour sitting like that and gotten terminal dead leg before you'd of told me that."

Kris nodded. "I just want everyone to have a good time," he said, his ears going down a bit. "Though I guess that's limited to everyone here." He then looked over at Judy. "The stretching thing is a little similar to yoga. If you're a more active mammal, that might be a much better way of destressing than meditation."

Judy looked at him, crossing her arms. Despite her first, rather off putting, encounter with that activity during the original nighthowler case, she had nothing against it. Indeed, yoga sounded like a good idea too. However that didn't mean she was going to throw in the towel on meditation before she'd even tried it. Not by a long shot. "Thanks Kris, but I'm going to be giving meditation my all today."

She gave a determined nod, Kris a bit unsure for a moment before carrying on. "Well, next, we close our eyes, focus on our thing, and let the rest of the world start to drift away. I often hum, tuning my breathing to it."

"Okay then," Judy replied, as she closed her eyes. The world went dark, and her ears picked up the silver fox beginning to hum as he slowly exhaled.

She joined in, letting out a long breath.

He stopped, and slowly began pulling one in. "Focus on the action and feel of your breath," he said. "Let it help your mind empty…"

Judy tried just that.

Breathing in and feeling it, breathing out to his humming.

Breathing in and feeling it, breathing out to his humming.

Breathing in and feeling it, breathing out to his humming.

Breathing in and feeling it, breathing out to his humming.

Breathing in and feeling it, _and what was that splash?_

No, focus Judy, breath ou… -no, in now! Then out, feeling it, before breathing in again.

Breathing out, and then in again. Out and then in, out and then in, and…

-Was it really this boring? She could be using that time helping that poor ewe, couldn't she? It'd have to be a slow introduction… Maybe a pre-arranged meeting at a safe place. How bad had she had it? Were… -were mammals using her own actions as justification to bully sheep? Did they think she approved? Did Maisy? Did sheep hold her responsible for others hurting them, or had she made some mistakes after taking in Bellwether… What could it be, what could…

A light tap touched her shoulder, and she opened her eyes to look at Kris. "Are you okay?"

"Just thinking about your friend," she admitted. "Has she…"

He cut her off with a shush, keeping a comforting paw on her shoulders. "She'll be fine. Right now, just let it all go. Recharge."

She blinked a few times. "Right. Meditation." Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the task at paw.

Breathing in and feeling it, breathing out to his humming.

Breathing in and feeling it, breathing out to his humming.

Breathing in and feeling it, breathing out to his humming.

Breathing in and feeling it, breathing out to his humming.

Breathing in and feeling it, breathing out to his humming.

Breathing in and feeling it, breathing out to his humming.

Her toes and body fidgeted a little. After all, she was athletic, -and were those runners she could hear? She could be running, her paws moving under her and racing and -stop it Judy. Don't give up like that, you can meditate.

You can put your mind to it and meditate the heck out of it.

That's right, cut out that birdsong. Focus your mind…

Focus your mind…

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_Some time later_

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Okay, keep your mind focused Judy, it's been hours and it's boring as cuss, but you can do it. You'll probably feel great after all of this.

Great!

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"Okay," Kris quietly began, "that's ten minutes, how's everyone doing?"

"Ten minutes! -I, uhhh…. -Good!" Judy stated, opening her eyes. She immediately noticed four sets of fox eyes looking at her.

"Masterful control there," Nick said from the back. "You are truly at peace with mind and body."

Judy grumbled. "Okay, maybe I was finding it a bit boring…"

"It felt a lot shorter than ten minutes," Agnes said, smiling. "I was able to let go, it was really peaceful, like a little nap."

"Ten minutes sounds about right," Ash added. "That's about how long I manage, and it's enough to calm me down. Doing it out here was nice though, I could listen to the birds and stuff and make up stories for them."

"I thought the idea was to shut everything out," Judy said.

"Well," Kris began. "They likely weren't stories, more like very weak ideas, or echoes… I felt detached. Like I was underwater, and all the sounds and stuff were ripples above me, and I could feel it. I shut myself off in a trance sometimes, but not all the time."

"I struggled a bit," Nick noted, "but then I heard the bird songs and started to dream a bit about them. It was okay, I guess."

"But that's all doing it wrong, isn't it?" Judy protested.

"The idea of it is to give you a breather and help calm you down, like a quick restart," Ash said. "And you now sound like you need a new one."

"Okay then," Judy said, staring forwards and cracking her knuckles. "Take two!"

"You know," Kris began, putting a paw on her shoulder. "Not all mammals are suited to meditation…"

"Well, I don't know when to quit," Judy countered, closing her eyes again. This time she kept her ears open and listened in.

…

There was a lot going on, something her ears did plenty of work to pick up on.

She heard splashing of fish in the pond, the sound of birds and insects, the rustling of the leaves in the trees and the sound of mammals.

Lots and lots of mammals.

There were ones playing, some running, others just walking. She heard the ringing of a bicycle bell here, or the distant rumble of traffic there.

All of it, out in the open.

She just needed to focus on one…

Just focus on that one bird call she noticed.

Just focus.

Just focus….

-Was that a mammal falling in the water!? No, wait, splashing and stuff. Are they playing? Or is it a bird, wait, bird…

Focus on the bird, Judy, focus and let then let it all fade. Fade as if it were a watercolour dropped in water, slowly diluting and drifting away, -and who was that calling out there!?

Were they crying for help? Were they the ones splashing?

…

No, birds!

…

And that voice again, what was he saying?

…

Bir… -Why was he shouting out 'goatee'? Was he harassing a goat? Okay, tune your ears, listen in, and again… What is he doing? Why…? And again, 'goatee', with nothing back. Who is he? Is he mentally ill… -Oh please don't let it be like that poor honey badger again, she didn't want to screw up again. But if it was, she'd do better this time. She'd do better for her, she would…

-And again. She felt her lip biting. Who could it be? Why would they be calling out like that? What exactly was he saying? How could she help?

How…

-She paused, freezing in horror, as she heard someone else shout out. "GET AWAY FROM THAT CRIMINAL!"

Her eyes flung open and she pushed her legs out, flipping herself onto all fours. She stood up, racing off to help, then crashing nose front into the ground.

...

Thank you, dead legs.

…

"Uh, where's the fire, Carrots?"

She pointed forwards. "Also, not a fire."

Nick blinked. "Okay, didn't expect that."

"Neither did I," Judy said, pushing forwards but stumbling as her legs failed to cooperate. "Arghhh! Legs not working."

"Need a paw?" Kris asked, holding onto her side.

"Thanks," she said, as Nick came over.

"I'll take it from here, Kit," he said, as he picked up Judy. "You three can follow at a distance. Carrots, point."

She did just that, and Nick followed her instruction, racing on. As they began climbing over a hill and weaving through bits of wood, Nick looked down. "Okay, bunny ears really are this good."

"Yes."

"And your meditation skills really are this bad."

"Not helping," she said, pausing before pointing in a new direction. "Put me down."

Nick did just that, Judy's legs kicking out as she took off. Glancing behind him to confirm that the kits were close by, Nick followed, cutting to the side. Up ahead, he saw her leap over a deeply sunken path and to the other side. He, meanwhile, slipped down the side, picking up a mass of leaves and wood debris as he rode the mini avalanche down to the path below. He then pushed up, scrabbling up the other side, despite the same litter doing its best to pull him back down.

Up on the other side and out into an open area, he paused as he saw Judy talking to a bunny doe and her son.

The doe was exaggerating and gesticulating, her overacted movements almost seeming to push Judy back. Looking at her, the way she moved as if she owned the place, the expensive designer clothes she dressed herself and her son in and the way the doe hung on to her kit, Nick sighed.

She was one of those…

Honestly, if she was speciesist against him on top of it, he didn't really care that much.

Well, apart from if she was packing Fox-Away, of course.

Moving up, he paused as he came up to the pair, the bunny mother still talking. "Is that your partner there? You can send him to sic that delinquent."

"Which delinquent?" Nick asked, wondering where this was going.

"The one who chucked wood at my baby!" She shouted, Nick surreptitiously giving a wink at the humiliated kit.

"The one over there, Nick," Judy said, pointing up to a tree. Looking up into it, Nick froze and did a double take of the woodchuck sitting up in it. "Do I know you from somewhere?" Nick asked, feeling an odd sense of unpleasant deja vu.

The thick built woodchuck, dressed in a loud red hoodie and camo cargo pants, paused, then chuckled. "LOL, nuts…"

"Uh…"

"My father's a doctor," he said, shrugging. "You're the fox cop right? My Dad said he saved your life when you were a baby kit. Apparently you had a crazy flea infestation, worms, and kept biting everyone."

Nick's face piqued, his ears going down as he noticed the bunny mother pull her son away from him slightly. "Thanks," he noted. "Anything going on here?"

"She's accusing me of chucking wood as she's a dumb speciesist with no imagination."

"You can see the wood right here!" The mother cried, pointing at stuff on the floor.

"You're a liar, that was cussing there already!"

"HOW DARE YOU USE THAT LANGUAGE IN FRONT OF MY BOY!"

"You're just a non-bunny mammal hating…"

"QUIET!" Judy shouted, silencing both of them. She then turned to the bunny mother. "Any reason why he was throwing sticks?"

"I was calling him out on his vandalism."

"I wasn't cussing vandalising…"

"You were eating cowslip and fresh dandelions…"

"It's called grazing, you dumb…"

"Woodchucks don't graze…"

"Yes we do! I just had one cussing dandelion as I was cussing bored, but you just wanted all the dandelions for yourself!"

"How dare you, they were for my son!" she shouted, the kit facepawming and face-earing. "He needs all of that good _natural _food to grow up strong and healthy, and not have things like autism or worms…"

"You're just a stupid cussing dumb du…"

"QUIET!" Judy shouted, cutting them off. Putting up her paws, she got between them. "The Zootopia public municipal code enshrines the right to graze on public land, unless clearly stated otherwise. This is the case for this park, so I advise you both leave each other alone."

"Yup," Nick noted. "I'll escort the underage mammal second most in need of rescue out of here." He walked up to the tree and waved him down. "Come on."

"And is bunny cop going to arrest those two?" He asked, getting down.

"Is she going to?" Nick said, as the pair began walking off. He kept a stare latched onto the new bunny as they retreated to a safe distance. "No, no she is not."

"Oh come on…!"

"Technically they haven't broken any laws," Judy explained.

"But it'll be funny!"

"We're off duty," Nick added. "And while that kit could probably do with a little less mother in his life, I don't think arresting her is the right answer."

"It's the funny answer."

Judy sighed. "I…" she was then cut off by an angry yell, and took off again. Nick looked at the woodchuck and shrugged. "Would you believe me if we said we came here to meditate?"

He then took off after, going down onto all fours. Judy had changed her direction, letting Nick catch up as he cut the corner. He could hear arguing now, both from the kits and a new voice.

A familiar voice.

They both slid down the bank and down towards the three younger foxes, landing on their feet amid a wave of leaf litter and facing off against a fourth, very familiar, face.

"Oh, hi Duke," Judy said, smiling and waving. "How's the community service going?"

The wiry weasel, dressed in his usual ratty clothes but with an orange vest, complete with hi vis strips and 'community service' written across it, growled. "How about you'z two knuckleheads TAKE A LOOK!"

He gestured about, and both Nick and Judy gulped as they saw all the leaf litter and bits of sticks that had slid down onto the path.

"Uhh," Judy said, looking around nervously. "Sorry…"

"Sorry! _Sorry?"_ He mocked, a sneer growing on his muzzle. "Yeh, sure you are, after bringing yourselves here. Even getting kits involved in makin' my life worse."

There was a twig snap, and they looked over to see Agnes moving forwards. "I'm sorry," she said. "We didn't know..."

"_Sure _you'z didn't," Duke mocked. "And I bet your little paws that you didn't know that I have to sweep and pick all this stuff up, and chuck it in my little cart, and take it all the way back to the main bin. Then do it again and again, to clear this mess up! And here I was, thinkin' that my last day wouldn't be so bad!"

"You know," Kris began, "we could help…"

"Suuure…. '_Help.'_ Well, if it's Wilde's kind of help, you can go cuss yourself!"

"Duke," Judy scolded, wandering forwards.

"And there you go," he mocked. "They said they did it, but it's the weasel that gets the boot. What kind of cruel and unusual am I gonna get this time?"

"Firstly, you were caught selling alcohol to minors…"

"-Holy cuss, it's the drink weasel!" Everyone looked up to see the woodchuck arrive, panting deeply as he caught his breath. Following Nick's path down, he barged past. "Where've you been, my mam?"

Duke frowned. "Tweedledum, Tweedledumber and Leonid Bearzhnev there got me busted."

"Who?"

"Bearzhnev was the joke name we gave Leonid Brezrev …"

"Who?"

"The Soeviet leader in the seventies," Duke grumbled. "As he was a bear and they thought it was funny…"

"Who…?"

"The leader of Russia with the crazy eyebrows!"

"Oh," the woodchuck said, blinking a few times before snapping to face Ash. "What the cuss, you wet sandwich!"

"Wait," Judy said, "you know them?"

"Well you two and Ash knew the weasel, and Beavis here is our class bully" Kris began, before Beavis charged past him and towards the smaller tod.

"Hey," Ash defended, stepping back a bit.

"Yeah, run you cussing coward, run after ruining…"

"Woah woah woah!" Judy called, running between them and holding her paws out. She took a calming breath, before waving for them to step apart. "Okay, first off, that's not how it went."

"Well of course ye'd say that," Duke muttered.

Judy snapped to face him, before looking up at the woodchuck. "Second off, though you're not in trouble, underage drinking is a crime."

"Who gives a cuss?" He asked with a shrug.

"I do, I'm literally a cop."

"Urghhh," he groaned, before turning back to Duke. "Okay, and who are the other two? The tweedle who and who?"

One of Duke's eyes rose slightly, before he blanky pointed forwards. "Wilde and the bunny."

"What the cuss you two!"

"To reiterate," Nick said, "we are, in the linguistically correct sense, literally cops."

"And total wet sandwiches," he muttered, before glancing down at Ash. "Almost as bad as Leonard Bearnet there," he said, before walking off.

"You see," Duke said, "he gets it!" He gave a high paw to Beavis as he passed, before turning back to the foxes. "They have me here, a little scraggly weasel, picking up stuff much larger than me when a sheep could do it way faster. Cruel and unusual, though not enough for them, as they then come in making this mess for me."

"We didn't mean to," Judy said, "we're sorry and, like I said, we can help."

"Your kinda 'help?' Cut me outta that you favourite pickin', snitching bullies. I don't need you!"

There was a pause, before Nick shrugged. "Okay then, bye."

"Yeh, scram it Wilde. Scram it with you and your bunch of mischief makers…"

Nick paused. "You can call me that, but not my friends."

Judy backed him up. "And you can't call him that either."

"Tchhh, look at you all. The insufferable sellout, your corrupt bunny cop, the weasel humiliating lover pair and the sniveling snitch friend…"

Nick scowled, staring back at Duke, the weasel gulping. "Do not insult me, Duke. Or my friends. We were gonna help you, but now you can pick this up yourself." He turned, and waved on the others. "Come on, leave him. He's not worth it."

"I'll get you for this Wilde," Duke warned. "I'll get all of you."

Agnes flinched a bit, Kris comforting her, as Ash spoke out. "Don't worry about that. He's embarrassingly useless."

"I resent that!"

Nick laughed, as did the others, as they wandered off.

"Just you wait Wilde! Just you wait, and you, eyebrows fox! I'll make you regret that statement! I'll get all of you, you don't know what you're dealing with here! I know things!"

...

He slumped, looking down at the mess he had to clear up. "Awww schucks…"

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"Phew," Judy sighed, "I'm glad that's all over."

"I'm guessing you know him," Agnes said, still looking a bit shaken. Kris nudged up to comfort her, before looking at the bunny and fox duo.

"The Duke of Bootleg," Nick replied, shaking his head. "He's not violent or anything, just annoying. We knew him from the first howler case, when he was roped into stealing the howler plants without knowing what they were."

"Yeah," Judy agreed, nodding along. "We do try and help him, in case he decides to accept it one day."

"Not that that's likely."

"You never know," Judy pointed out. "It took a bit of work to get to you to do it."

"Touche," Nick replied.

"Yup," she said, smiling. "Now, where were we."

"Meditation," Kris reminded her, looking on as her ears drooped a bit.

"Oh yeah, sure," she replied, getting more confident again. "Let's get back to it."

"Actually, I think meditation isn't your best option," Kris began.

"But I can practice," she said, earning a chuckle from Nick.

"Kris, prepare to meet an unstoppable force. The bunny that doth not know whenneth to quit."

"Maybe you could," he said, "but I think there are things that might give a similar result, but are better for a more physical mammal like you. Like yoga. I mean, there's some mammals trying it out over there."

Judy paused, looking over to see a set of mammals practicing on a gym mat.

No, that wasn't quite right…

"Wow, is that a sentient bird?" Agnes asked, peering over. Judy looked too and nodded as she saw the regal looking creature. Even though she wore a light purple vest and black yoga pants, there was something spectacular about her.

"A sentient secretary bird," Kris remarked, "incredibly rare."

"And there's a gorilla next to her," Nick added, pointing at one with a pink vest and teal yoga pants. "Don't see many of them over here either."

"It's nicer than that one troop we've had to deal with," Judy remarked, remembering a case with a notable robber gang that they'd helped stake out. They, all of them Gorilla's, had been put away for their crimes, including corruption of a minor given how the leader had forced his son to act as a lookout.

He'd gotten off with probation and currently lived with his mother. She wondered how he was doing right now,. Was he angry, sad…

"Hey, Carrots," Nick interrupted, "try that move there."

She paused, then looked forwards and did just that, pulling a leg around into a stretch. Feeling a slight burn, she pushed on, before letting go as the class did. "Not so bad," she remarked. Indeed, it felt rather good, and she quite liked the idea of joining a class like the one she was watching. It was certainly far more preferable to joining a different yoga class she knew of, one taught by a certain elephant and partook by a certain otter.

"And it kept your mind off of what was making your ears go droopy," Nick pointed out, a smug grin on his muzzle. "Yoga, one. Meditation, nil-pwa!"

"Just as I thought," Kris noted, as Judy looked at the foxes smugly.

"Ha, ha… Okay, you win. But with enough practice I could learn meditation."

"And be miserable," Nick added.

"... -Sweet cheese I would be, it's _soooo_ boring, how do you do it?"

"I just do," Kris said.

"There is no try," Agnes added.

"I just imagine that video of the spinning seal," Ash finished off. "Makes me happy for ten minutes, and that's what I want."

"Yup," Kris said. "I don't mind. As long as you're happy, that's what counts. Maybe soon you and Maisy might be doing yoga."

"Yeah," Judy agreed. "You can make sure that she's okay, that she knows we're not a problem? I really don't want her feeling down because of us."

"I'll text her an explanation, telling her how much of a friend you four all are," Agnes said.

"Thanks for that," Judy said, before turning to Kris. "And thanks for being patient with a dumb bunny."

Kris just smiled. "It's nothing," he said as, together, they set off. The kids planned to head home while, tonight, the adults had a very special date planned.

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**An: Just a slight breather chapter between the last work and the next one, you know how it is. Also, for those unaware, I've started a Zootopia-Beastars crossover called Zoostars. It won't be anywhere near as big as FFoZ, only penned in for 13 chapters, but it's been fun to write (especially given the large amount of extra writing time I've recently stumbled upon for unnamed reasons). If you also have extra reading time for (also, but oddly similar) unnamed reasons, feel free to check it out. Other fic Rec's by me include Dobanachi's wickedly funny fic: L'EDgendary, and Merc Marten's ongoing saga 'The Fire Triangle'. All massive labours of love that need more love.**

**Coming up next week though, the thing you've all been waiting for. The one, the only, TRIPLE DATE! GET HYPE!**

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"Were those the heroes of Zootopia just then?" Director Gori asked, as she got up from a yoga move.

Secretary Washimi got up next to her, ruffling her feathers slightly. "I believe they were. How do you think their triple date with Retsuko, Hayden and their friends will go tonight?"

Gori blinked. "Triple date?" She asked, before bursting into tears. "WHY DIDN'T I KNOW ABOUT THAT!? IF I HAD A BOYFRIEND, I COULD BE ON A QUAD DATE!"

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After recovering, Gori and Washimi got ready for the next exercise. They looked on as their main instructor, a massively built kangaroo whose muscles bulged out of his tight purple tank top and grey yoga shorts, got up.

"PROTEIN!"

They got down, only to pause as they heard a voice off in the distance.

_"Protein! That was what he was saying! I thought he was saying Goatee, but it was protein!"_

"PROTEIN!"

"_It all makes sense now!"_

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Duke grumbled, straining as he pulled another armful of leaves and litter, dumping them into his cart. "Good for nuthin rutting foxes and bunny," he grumbled, his paws clenching.

He paused, as he saw a new figure behind him.

"Hey," Beavis said. "Got any booze?"

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"PROTEIN!"


	44. SavageSkyeHaidSukoWildeHopps

**AN: For all new readers just starting out, here's the MO. My main series, 'Fantastic Foxes of Zootopia', is a mega crossover built by bringing Fantastic Mr Fox and Aggretsuko into the Zootopia universe. It's episodic in nature, with different plotlines and characters, a number of which have built up to this oneshot, where the three main romantic couples go out together.**

**Don't worry. While this oneshot is well into the main story, it can largely be read by itself. For those looking to do a limited readthrough to prime themselves up, here are the most relevant/ important episodes leading up to this moment.**

**Acting out (episode 1)**

**Aggretopia (episode 4)**

**Spanners and Stripes (episode 5)**

**So we're inters now (episode 9)**

**MOM(S) (episode 12)**

**Skye's Fall (episode 14).**

**.**

**For those looking for a quick context recap:**

**After doing some undercover missions with Ookami (from Aggretsuko) as a helper providing cover, Nick (from Zootopia) has a moment of self-doubt/crisis. Judy (Zootopia) takes him to meet old friend Jack Savage (a striped jackrabbit), an eccentric but otherwise lazy actor who works at Moon's theatre (from Sing.) An accident breaks the stage set, so Nick ropes in an old not-a-friend, Skye (a swift fox mechanic), who'll repair it.**

**Meanwhile Retsuko decides to ask Haida out. On the same day, she discovers a tax anomaly in a customer account and, after hearing from Ookami about working with Nick, decides to pursue it, giving her a confidence boost and interest in becoming a tax detective while also torpedoing the company responsible (owned by Mr Big's mafia (from Zootopia, which Judy has a connection to after saving his daughter in the movie), sinking him.)**

**Haida also discovers an unusual plushie very similar to his likeness (a running gag in the series).**

**Skye and Jack talk themselves into a date. Skye is initially unsure but, at an inter-species couple meetup, they meet Haida and Retsuko who encourage her to go on. H and R are interested in meeting Nick and Judy, Skye remarking that Nick seems to have changed for the better since she last knew him.**

**Nick and Judy start going out together too, different couples meet the other's parents, stuff goes on.**

**Skye has an accident that breaks her ankle. Initially resistant to help, she gets trapped in her garage's maintenance pit for a few days before being saved by Jack. The two become really close, Skye resolving to be more accepting of others' help and Jack resolving to be less lazy.**

**Nick and Skye make up, the couples decide to do the triple date, part of which will involve watching the dress rehearsal for Jack's upcoming masterpiece.**

**.**

**You all got that? **

**(Nods, turns back to regular readers)**

**.**

**And so, here we stand.**

**It's what I've tortuously dangled in front of you all this time.**

**Well, today is the day it all pays off. Today is the day you get a 17K oneshot with just one thing on its mind. Also popping up (on the A03 version at least) are not one, but two new pieces of art (and maybe some old ones too). The first by the fantastically fab Jaff96, the second by the amazingly awesome Zeigelzieg. They'll be in the text of the A03 version for all those interested. Songs may be sung during this oneshot, so I may slip in links to them in the A03 version.**

**Anyway, enough with the chit-chat.**

**Triple date time!**

**.**

**SavageSkyeHaidSukoWildeHopps**

**.**

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Fluffy…

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"Fluffy Carrots," Nick whispered, as he pushed himself forward, further underneath the thick blanket and into the soft warm fur beneath him. There was a slight move back, a deep rumble and a shift, and the fox held on tighter. He sniffed a few times, mainly getting the fuzzy smell of some catnip, not that he minded. Shifting a bit, his head peeked out the other end, a grumble inducing ache flashing through it.

"Waking up after a hangover," he muttered. "_Aaaaand_ I can't remember last night. Now, why does this sound familiar?"

…

"You know what, I don't care" he whispered, his eyelids fluttering open a little before closing from the assaulting light. Nocturnal eyes, hangover, and he'd been a dumb fox and left the curtains open. Typical. If anything, that last one was the most annoying thing right now. Heck, he didn't really care that he remembered nothing of last night! Instead, he just wanted to snuggle up to _his_ Carrots, nice and warm. Moving forwards, his lips graced over hers and made out the hard edges of her teeth.

Doing a ':B' are we, he thought, smiling at the mental image. He stretched up and gave a soft peck there. He smiled some more as he felt his love shift and move beneath him, a paw coming around him and pulling him up closer, her giant mouth enveloping his and…

…

Giant mouth, Nick thought, before slowly realising that pretty much everything about her was giant. Something made clearer as a giant padded paw swept down his head and stroked his spine. Another sucking kiss from 'her', not that he was actively putting in any effort anymore, and he noticed that her ':B' was upside down… and sharper… and had three teeth. It wasn't a ':B' at all… It was a ':3'! It was also well to the side. A paw touched the back of Nick's head, smushing his nose into the soft fur that most certainly didn't smell of any bunny, yet alone his, while another pulled up his tail and stroked up through it. The alarming action shocked Nick's eyes open, and he stared into the face of a massive hyena.

"Your tail is so fluffy, Retsy," he whispered, breaking off the kiss as his eyes fluttered open.

…

"Huuuhhhhhyuyuuyu…." he began stammering, shaking from the nerves. "Uh… -Nick?"

The fox just slipped forwards, planting a finger on Haida's mouth. "Shhh… Let's keep this between just you and me, big boy."

Haida, his eyes still trembling, nodded as he slipped out from under Nick. The fox noticed that they'd been on the sofa, a thick blanket over both of them, though now that both were sitting up the hyena was using it to mark a very, very, very large distance between the two of them.

"You okay?" Nick asked.

Haida thought for a moment, raising a palm up between them before standing up, his ears and crown brushing against the fox scaled ceiling. Nick watched him walk out, ducking down to fit through the door before turning to go into the bathroom, the fox preemptively plugging his ears.

"BWAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" he screamed, before being joined by someone else.

"ARGHHHHHHHH!"

"ARGHHHHH!" _BANG… _"OWWW… -WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!"

"I WAS SHOWERING!"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU LOCK THE DOOR?"

"THERE ISN'T A LOCK!"

"WHY NOT?"

"ASK MY BOYFRIEND!"

Flinching down a little from his aching head, Nick watched as Haida, slouching down so he could rub his, stepped out. "I'm not feeling better, in case you were wondering," he muttered, before groaning as he clutched his head.

Nick shrugged, before a new sound broke through. "Oh no, oh nonononono…" Pausing, the pair listened to a nervous Judy speaking out. "G-guys," she whispered, stepping out and clutching her necklace hard. "Please tell me you have an explanation for this that doesn't have me and vodka in it." Both Nick and Haida stepped back as the meek bunny slid out a traffic cone.

Nick let a smug grin grow on his muzzle. "You know it's not a good night if you don't bring home a traffic cone."

"Not funny!" she groaned.

"Is there a story behind…" Haida began, only to be cut off as Judy marched up to him, paws on hips and nose a-twitching. "Oh. Okay then," he said, looking around. "Where's everyone else?"

"Given that none of us have work today, bed?" Nick suggested, as he slipped off the sofa. Moving over and opening a drawer, he grumbled as he found no catnip. "I mean, if this isn't what it's for…"

There was a rattling from behind them as an underwear clad Skye, holding the door frame with her paws for balance, emerged from Nick's bedroom, sans crutches. "Have you seen my…"

Three heads shook back at her and she facepawed, unfortunately forgetting that she only had the use of one leg.

"Yaaaahhhhh!" she yelped, thudding onto the floor. "A little help please?"

Haida rushed over and picked her up like a baby, her ears going back a little from embarrassment. "There you go," he said, before wincing. "Arghhh, why does my paw hurt?"

"I don't know," she began, before looking at the sofa. "If you put me there…"

"Right," he noted, planting her down. As she wrapped herself with the blanket, all eyes turned to Haida's right paw, his knuckles and fingers all cut up. "Did I actually punch someone?"

"If that someone was a pebble-dashed wall, maybe," Nick replied.

Haida nodded, before turning to Skye. "Just a sec. Were you asking about your clothes or crutches?"

"Let's make it both," she muttered.

"I think your clothes were in the bathroom," Judy said, before pausing. She walked up to Skye, an odd look on her face, as if she were half mad and half confused.

"Judy?"

The bunny paused, before shaking her head. "I don't know why, but I feel angry at you… -Did you do anything with a traffic cone last night?"

"No, I…" she began, before her eyes went wide. "I remember us getting back here and Nick using the last of his catnip before joking about sleeping with Haida and his fuzzy wuzzy tail instead of you, you joking about sleeping with me in return… And then us doing that…"

"Why would we…?" the hyena pondered.

"We were drunk," Judy snarked.

"Oh, right… That does make sense."

She nodded and then turned to Nick, her head tilting in curiosity. "It might also explain why I think you did something terrible."

"Huh?" The fox pondered, before his ears and tail sunk. "I now feel like I did something awful, but I don't know what."

"Something to do with crutches? Also, could one of you get my clothes, _please?_" Skye asked, in a tone that made it seem like she was a whiskers thickness away from giving in and trotting out on all fours to do it herself.

Judy nodded and headed off, while Haida and Nick looked around. The hyena, with his room filling height, was able to look on the top of cupboards and the fridge, while Nick kept closer to the floor. Judy emerged back in, depositing Skye's clothes before blinking. "Sixty-eight, one-six-zero-six," she muttered, all eyes turning to here. "I don't know why, but I remember that."

"Unfortunately, we don't have a safe to open that may or may not have all our memories in it," Nick commented, as he opened the door to his balcony and looked out. "So, unless that was your jail number while in the drunk tank, it means we're no further to uncovering the embarrassing exploits of an inebriated bun-bun."

"You know you probably did far, far worse," Judy snarked.

"Oh, I have a feeling that I did do something bad," Nick sighed, coming back in. "But if you want something funny, you can always count on a bunny."

Judy's nose twitched a few times, before leaning forwards, paws on her hips. "Maybe I did do something, but that's about it for our group's bunny funnies…"

They were broken off as the door to the spare bedroom opened up and Jack, dressed up in Judy's now undersized fox onesie, stepped out. He rubbed his eyes, looked around, and smiled. "Hang on… we're actually doing a hangover amnesia thing in real life. This is so cliché and I love it!"

The other four were a lot less convinced, but didn't get to respond as another mammal called out.

"_SHUT UPPPP…. MY HEAD HURTS…_"

Jack flinched back, groaning. "Yikes! that's a scary feeling," he muttered, shivering as all five peered back into the room. They all saw Retsuko, burritoed up in a blanket, grumbling on the bed. They also noticed a pillow fort that had been built out of Nick's spare bedding, a few chairs, and two incriminatingly familiar pole-like objects.

.

.

_Ten minutes later_.

.

.

Retsuko mumbled as she looked over the packet of medicine. All across it, the number 128 was marked out in red letters. Her medicine at home was marked in orange, and had 32 on it. Given her size, her standard dose of paracetamol was three of those tablets every four hours. Only now, given that she was much using larger sized tablets, the smallest one was higher than her regular dose. Given that she already _had_ a nasty headache, she was not liking the new one she was getting.

There was a tap on her side as Judy came up. "Just have one," she said, the red panda sighing and doing just that. Together, they then sat down. Chairs and sofas had been brought out to form a ring: Skye snuggled up with Jack snuggled into her, Retsuko sitting next to Haida, Nick on a chair and nervously filtering through his phone, and Judy stepping up to a whiteboard. With the exception of Jack, still clad in the undersized fox onesie, they were all dressed up in what they'd worn the night before. Skye had a dusty blue top and, unusually for her, a tartan skirt, chosen due to the need to get it past her cast; Retusko was in a smart white blouse and white-brown plaid skirt; Haida had his black jeans, bikers jacket and red-black striped shirt on; Nick was in his classic pawaian shirt, tie and slacks combo, along with a dashing crimson blazer. Finally, Judy had put on a casual blue T-shirt and a pair of skinny black jeans.

"Okay," she said, "We all have today off, which is good. We're here to work out why we're here, _and _what we did last night. Now, being a police officer, this involves making a timeline and plotting the events that took place."

"Hmmm," Retsuko mused, "this is actually interesting."

"Yeah," Haida added, before chuckling. "Practice in case we do become detectives."

Judy paused, smiling proudly. "Now, we have clues and we have mysteries…"

"-Like my paw!" Haida said, holding it up.

"Right," Judy agreed, writing it down. "Then there's why I felt hostile to Skye, why we have that traffic cone, what may have happened with that traffic cone, what '68-1606' is and what bad thing Slick here did… Anything else?"

Jack raised his paw. "I shiver when I see Retsuko now. Why?"

"Okay," Judy said, putting it down. "Anything else?"

Nick paused, looking up from his phone, his head cocking slightly. "Judy… Where did you get that whiteboard from?"

The bunny paused, looking back at the board for a second or two before writing _'this thing' _up in a corner. "Okay," she said, tapping her foot a little. "Before we start, any clues?"

"Well," Nick muttered, "I've been receiving worrying feedback from a certain mammal on my phone: '_Heck, you finally did a useful thing, ex-bud!; Boyo, you're sure missing out here; Your bunnycop ain't half dis good; I think you're back to bein' a regular bud, ex-partner; No backsies, you hear!"_

"Does it mention anything about a traffic cone?" Judy asked.

"No."

"What about social media?"

"Oooh," Retsuko said, getting out her phone. "I can search Instagrowl. And if I can't find anything, I know someone who definitely can…" She trailed off, looking at her phone, while Haida peered over.

"Huh…"

"What is it?" Skye asked.

"That someone has been texting back too."

"Yeah," Haida noted, scratching his head. "It seems Fenneko…"

He was cut off by a loud clatter as Nick dropped his phone, everyone turning to face the suddenly distraught fox. "Oh god, I remember… What have I done!?"

.

.

* * *

.

.

"So, you're telling me her name is Fenneko, right?" Nick asked, leaning over, beer in paw.

Haida and Retsuko nodded, the former picking up his mug of beer from the worn wooden table. "Yup," the latter added, smiling. An orange glow covered them all as they bunched up together in the cosy space, filled with the loud sounds of thickly built mammals, more often than not in cold weather gear.

"Now what is it…" Nick slurred, pausing as Jack returned with some food. "-What is it with fennecs and using their species name as their first name? I mean, hold up..." He paused as he opened up his phone. "Now I used to work with this goofy little stinker here. Guess what his name is?"

"Frednick?" Haida asked.

"No?"

"Fenrick?" Retsuko guessed.

"I think that's his estranged brother, who I think works at a halal butchers, like the rest of his estranged family… They went very different ways in life. No, this little infidel here has a much worse name."

"Fennick?" Haida asked

"His parents weren't that cruel."

"Finnick?" Jack suggested.

"Yes!" Nick cheered, holding the bunny's paw. "Well done, Stripes!"

The jackrabbit looked on proudly, hamming it up. "I think you'll find it was a mere matter of logical deduction and reasoning, but thank you nonetheless dear friend… Also, he's _so_ tiny!"

"Ooooh… Don't say that to his face if you value yours," Nick warned.

The jackrabbit nodded, while Haida leant over. "You know, I think I've seen him before…"

"Probably," Nick agreed, taking a swig of his drink. "Stalking bars, looking for a mythical lady friend to warm the back of his van."

"Yeah, they're solitary mammals, I don't think Fenneko has anyone in her life either," the hyena noted.

Nick nodded, before his eyes widened. "Hang on a sec, I have a brilliant idea."

.

.

* * *

.

.

"I set up Finnick with Fenneko! And it worked!"

Silence filled the room, as everyone looked at the shame clad fox cop.

"Heh," Haida noted, turning to Judy. "You can strike that one off the list.

"Guys, you're not taking this seriously."

Retsuko looked up from her phone, turning it around. "Well, two mammals are."

Nick leaned over to look at it, as his eyes widened with horror. "And that's a double fennec profile pic…" He sat up and shrugged, baring his arm. "You can insert punches here."

"No need," Jack said, "I remember what happened next."

"So do I," Skye agreed, as did everyone else bar the red fox.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Hey, guess what!" Nick said, interrupting Skye as she and Judy returned to the table. "I set up Finnick with their friend Fenneko."

There was a brief pause, before Judy scowled and punched him on the arm.

"Heyyy!" He whined, rubbing it. "That was… actual genuine fox abuse. What gives Carrots?"

"You just set up someone with Finnick."

"Hey, it's not like…" he began, before freezing with horror. "Sweet Mother Marian, I just set up Fenneko with Finnick."

"Hey, no worries," Retsuko began, only to be cut off as Nick stood up and punched himself on the arm.

_._

_._

* * *

_._

_._

"Okay, I remember that now," Nick said, as Judy came up to him, her ears drooping and her head lowered in shame.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Uhhh, what for?"

"For hitting you, you dumb fox."

"Fluff, do we need to go over this again, I…"

"I forgive you," she said, planting a finger on his lip. "And, in return, you can forgive yourself."

Nick paused for a second or two, before taking a deep breath in. "Okay, it'll be hard, I'll be living with this for the rest of my life, but I'll try."

"Good fox," she said, ticking the relevant mystery off this list. "I mean, it's not that bad. I mean, it's no Hatchikoshima."

…

"Why do you say that?" Skye asked, her head cocking a little. After all, saying something wasn't as bad as the atomic bombing of a city didn't really serve much of a purpose.

Judy frowned, before heading back to the board and adding 'Hatchikoshima' to the list. "Right," she said, turning back around. "Let's start from the beginning."

Everyone nodded as Skye spoke. "Well, we all remember the initial meet up right. We don't need to go through all the 'oh hello's' and emotional gushing again, do we?"

"I think everyone can guess how a bunch of hello's went," Jack added, shrugging. "We can cut it."

"Right," Judy agreed, before pausing. "Though we might as well go through an abridged version, just to recap."

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Hey you two, you're looking good" Judy said, coming up and waving to Skye and Jack. "We also have tomorrow off, due to our shift rotation, so tonight can be a big night."

"Hey you two, you're looking good," they replied. "We're both self-employed, and have nothing on tomorrow. Big night time."

"Oh my god," came a new voice, the bunny looking over to see a red panda hop up to her. "I finally get to meet you!"

"Hey, you must be Retsuko. Hi there. You look good."

"Yes I am. Hello, you look good. Also, my boyfriend and I are using up a holiday and have tomorrow off. We can have a really big night."

"Hi there," Haida added, as Nick came up.

"Hello," he said, looking down at Retsuko before looking up again. "Heh… Hello."

"Heh, what was that laugh for?"

"Oh, no reason…"

_._

_._

* * *

_._

_._

Collectively, five faces turned to look at a certain fox. A frown on his face as he looked at his injured paw, Haida spoke out. "I think there is a reason."

Nick shrugged. "We'll probably get to it."

"Yes," Jack yawned, as Judy wrote 'Nick's laugh' up on the board, next to 'Haida's paw'. "Once we get past all this filler and onto the actual stuff."

There was a finger click from the side as Retsuko stood up. "I remember what happened next, and it might help."

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Wait, Ookami?" Nick asked.

"Yes, a big maned wolf who works at our company," she said, smiling. "He said he works with you, and that's where I first got interested."

Nick's eyes widened as Judy stepped forwards. "Sweet cheese, I didn't know!" she giggled.

"Who's this?" a very confused Skye asked from the side.

"Didn't we tell you?" Retsuko asked. "We have a friend at work who helped Nick on undercover missions, providing cover. It was he who inspired me to step up and report that tax issue, taking down that criminal!"

"I think I remember you mentioning it," Jack said. "I definitely remember that it was a rodent criminal you got, it was his pavilion we saw when Skye hurt her leg."

"Yeah," Haida added. "That's the one. Apparently, he was a mob boss in Tundratown."

Jack looked on smugly, before looking to the side. "Judy, anything to add?"

"Uhhh, ummm," Judy stammered out, before pushing through a smile. "Why would I?"

Jack crossed his paws and flashed over a smug enough look to beat Nick at his own game. "Ah, you are but an apprentice, and I the master. Acting skills happen to go both ways, and I saw that little flash across your face. So, Judy Hopps, I have to ask, what mysterious backstory do you have on you ready to reveal?"

_._

_._

* * *

_._

_._

"...O-kay," Judy began, holding back before pushing forwards. "I think we all remember that, so no need to go over it again! All good?"

A single paw came up and Judy groaned, looking over at Haida. "This may be a stupid question," he asked. "But did that involve a giant donut?"

Five heads nodded back at him.

"Huh, okay then," he said, lowering his paw.

"Right," Judy said, smiling with relief. "Next, we…" She cut herself off Haida's paw went up again, her eyes drooping down and her brow furrowing. "Yeeessss…."

"I think I remember something related to that."

Judy groaned, only for Skye to cut her off. "I do too. -Ookami related, not your organised crime links related."

"Thank-you, Skye…" the bunny muttered, only for her eyes to widen as she also remembered.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Karma's going to dump some snow on me," Nick muttered, as they slipped outside, a wall of cold hitting them.

"Is this still about Finnick?" Judy asked, nudging into him. "Yes, you were a very dumb fox there, but maybe not quite a super naughty bad one."

Retsuko looked on in confusion. "I'm still not sure what the problem is."

"I don't think you get it," Nick muttered.

"No, I don't," Haida said. "Why's Fenneko hanging out with this Finnick such a bad thing? He's… -he's not a wifebeater. Wait, IS HE!?"

"No," Nick replied. "In fact, I don't even know how he'd be in a relationship."

"Does he have a criminal record or something?" Retsuko asked.

Judy was about to speak, only to pause, looking up at Skye, the fox raising an eyebrow as she looked back. A slight tension ran through them for a second or two, only to be cut off by Nick. "Technically, it's sealed," he said. "He was once a very naughty boy."

"Oh," Retsuko noted. "But he's, what, in his thirties? That's a long time…"

"Yes, and I knew him for most of it. He's not a criminal, but not exactly prime boyfriend material either," Nick snarked, his face drooping into his paws.

"Hey," Retsuko said, nudging up to him. "If he's really that bad, he won't last a second against Fenneko."

"You don't know him."

"You don't know her," she countered.

"Seriously," Haida added, "you don't."

Nick paused, before shaking it off. "Okay," he began, still not quite sure. "Maybe this isn't quite the crime against love that I feared I'd committed." He paused, before turning to Jack and Skye. "What do you two think?"

They both shrugged, before Jack's eyes widened. "Idea!"

"Yes Stripes?"

"Idea to do good," he said, moving over to the fox. "If that was so bad, why not do a good?"

"What, set up a better pairing as karmic compensation?"

"Yeah!" Jack said, crossing his paws. "Here we are, going out of our way to do a good."

Nick paused, before turning to Judy. "Mind punching me if I'm moving towards another Finneko quality pairing?"

"Will do."

"Okay," Nick said, looking forwards. "Who've you got in mind, Stripes?"

…

"I dunno. Eddie?"

"Was he the sheep?" Nick asked, before turning to Judy. "Don't you have a sheep friend called Shar…"

He was cut off by a punch by Judy.

"Right then," he said. "What about that koala thea…"

He was cut off by a punch by Jack.

"Thankfully you don't even punch like a bunny," Nick countered. "But I get your point. Any other suggestions? Or… -Hang on, what about Ookami? He's single, isn't he?"

"He's also gay," Retsuko said. "So, unless you know any other gay maned wolves…"

"Maybe he's an inter?" Judy asked.

"That's getting into pretty low odds," Haida countered. "We literally got the lesson on that."

"But there might be a better chance if it's another kind of wolf," Skye mused, looking down before her eyes widened, staring at Nick. "Or…"

"I'm taken," he said, pointing at Judy.

"Yes," she added. "Paws off my foxy."

Nick gave his trademark smirk. "Oh, is it _your_ foxy now?"

She giggled. "Now and forever."

"Anyway," Skye said. "A fox might also have a higher chance," she said, bringing out her phone.

"Am I about to find out about a new and suddenly plot relevant friend of yours," Jack mused. "Or is this going to be hilariously obvious in post?"

"Wait and see," she said, as Haida clicked his paw. Walking over, he chuckled.

"Knew it."

Retsuko followed, "Oh, of course!"

Jack looked up. "Right, the latter one."

Nick and Judy filtered up too, their heads cocking. "Why are you looking through a hospital website?"

"Because," Skye said, as she paused. "Of a certain Bi-fox who helped fix my leg," she said, pointing to a picture.

Retsuko nodded, bringing out her phone, taking a picture of a picture, and sending it off. "Now, maybe Ookami is only into other maned wolves or…"

She was cut off by a return text.

"What does it say?" Nick asked.

"It says…. 'UWU'…"

"…We'll take that as a yes," Skye said, confidently. "As for our fox, I got his number in case I had any problems with my leg, just send off Ookami's number and picture and… it's up to him!"

She did it, then smiled. "Now, Nick. Are you going to stop moping around now that the karmic-romantic balance is restored?"

He looked on, a little unsure, as Retsuko's phone buzzed again.

"Ookami says: 'Does he have any Junior-high school uniforms?'" There was a pause, and then another text. "'Both genders work.'" Then another. "BTW I'm drunk Senpai."

…

Nick shrugged, before walking over to a nearby overhang, a massive mass of snow teetering on its edge. "Karmic balance, if you are still slighted, strike me down now!"

…

"Oh good, we're even now," Nick said, smiling as he walked off. He then froze as a massive rumble came from behind him, the fox turning to see a mass of fallen snow at his feet. "Okay, don't push it. Got it…"

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Still no reply," Skye noted, Retsuko agreeing.

"Okay," Judy noted. "So, we met up. Then, we somehow ended up in Tundratown where we had drinks, shipped friends, and had a good time."

"What happened between that time period…" Judy pondered. "And why am I suddenly getting a serious case of Deja-vu?"

She was cut off by Jack, the suddenly angry bunny stepping up and crossing his paws as he stepped forwards. He looked outraged and irritated; a remarkable feat given that he was still in a significantly undersized fox onesie. "Ahem, Judy, do not tell me that you are forgetting the first major thing that we did?"

.

.

* * *

.

.

"I'm so excited," Retsuko whispered, as she cosied up into her front row seat at Moon's Theatre, ready to watch Jack's draft rehearsal. "I don't even know what this is about."

"I don't either," Skye added.

Judy paused, looking over at her. "Weren't you hanging around when he was quoting things from his scripts?"

"Weren't you in his drama society?" the swift fox countered.

"Yes."

"Did any of his ramblings make sense back then?"

"Point taken," Judy replied, as she settled back. She was dressed smartly, with Kozlov's necklace around her neck.

Nick smiled smugly. "As I said before. I bet on a western."

Haida smiled. "Not really a genre I was ever into, but I'm excited!"

"Yeah!" Judy agreed.

"Calm it, Carrots," Nick spoke. "We don't want a repeat of the lobby incident, do we?"

Judy turned to look at him. "What?" she defended.

"What do you mean, 'what?' Don't tell me that you didn't get all emotional when you learned how they'd sold that knock-off…"

"-It may not be a knock off," Judy pointed out, crossing her paws and glaring at him. "In fact, I'm pretty sure that sarcophagus was incredibly valuable. I could imagine greedy mammals taking it away, forever, and leaving the true owner to suffer alone and..."

"Woah, calm down," Skye interrupted, her ears peeling back. "I know that the auction may not have been the most traditional, but it was all signed off and done by Buster Moon."

"Yeah," Judy sighed, shaking her head a little and fingering her necklace. "I'm sorry, Skye. I'm not sure why I got so emotional over it. Whatever the case, it was he who sold it straight off to that collector rather than letting the auction properly end when promised, not you two. It's odd though, when you told me about that hustle, I imagined being someone else and getting thrown away from it, by… -well, it was obviously Buster, grey fur and all. It made me angry, probably due to memories of family members getting swindled at dodgy farm auctions. But Buster is a decent mammal, isn't he?"

"He seems like he's decent," Nick said.

"Also, a meddler," Skye added.

"But still," she said, looking away while stroking her necklace. "I don't hate him or anything, but if I was in the place of one of the mammals who got short changed, I feel like I'd hate him…" She trailed off, before shaking her head. "Honestly, it's scary how absurdly I would hate him."

"Don't worry," Nick replied, moving over and beginning to massage the top of Judy's scalp.

"Hey, staaawwwwwoooohhhhhdooooon't staaahhhhppppp Niiiiiick…. Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh…"

"There," he replied, "It's just bunny brain in overdrive. It's been that way a lot, ever since this whole new howler thing started."

Judy nodded, bringing her legs up and tucking them in, while holding her arms against her chest and necklace.

Retsuko, seeing this, immediately stood up and got into Haida's lap to his surprise. "Huuhhhh, oh, okay then…" She then promptly began receiving her own petting, as Judy, seeing this, went up into her own boyfriend's lap.

"Just relax, Carrots," he cooed.

Between them, Skye looked around, before picking up her crutches and trying to stroke them. After a few tries, she put them down, her ears drooping as she resorted to stroking her tail.

Meanwhile, up in one of the viewing boxes, a sheep, a koala and a sentient chameleon sat down. The marsupial of the three was fidgeting. "I really am worried," Buster said, looking down. "-And not just because I might make another translation mix up if I have to talk to that red panda. I mean, Jack's such a vivid creator. I fear he's just too extreme for most mammals to enjoy. He's very good, but he just needs someone to make everything family friendly…"

Eddie looked on, down at the stage. "You know, you've been saying this for all this time, and everyone's not been happy. Maybe it's time to let others experiment?"

"But what if it all goes horribly wrong?"

"That's for future us to worry about."

"I suppose so… But still, just us… alone with our fears…"

"Actually, I'm pretty sure that bunny heard us talk just now. They have really good hearing. Otherwise, if this were to appear in a future memory or something, it really wouldn't make any logical sense, as how would they know what we were saying?"

"Oh, um… Okay then."

Every mammal (and reptile) settled down, as the lights dimmed and the curtain withdrew. A high pitched, slightly out of tune piano began playing a stereotypical western tune and the lights slowly rose. The curtains drew, the stage set was revealed, and it opened out to reveal the inside of a tavern. Mammals in period costume, from old world predators and prey in western gear to new world mammals in native outfits hung about. There were those playing cards, those at the bar gulping down shots, and then, with a thundering sound, the saloon door swung open as a massive wolf entered. The piano playing stopped, eyes turned to look at him, and paws and hooves slowly emerged, poised like rattlesnakes to strike at their guns.

A heartbeat began playing, quiet at first, but then faster and faster and faster until…

The lights went out.

The music played again as a solitary spotlight was cast down on the saloon door once more. Dressed up in a suit and tie, formal wear at least a century younger than the time period, Jack Savage stepped out. "This kind of thing," he began, waving his arms up as spotlights flashed on and off, temporarily illuminating the scenes around. "-Did not happen. Or, at least, did not happen often." He stepped forwards, briefly looked around, before pulling out a chair and sitting down. "The Old World first set foot in the New in Central America, with the first great attempt at conquest being that against the Azgat Empire. Cortes and his thousand mammals, forming an alliance between multiple native tribes who despised their oppressors and fielded hundreds of thousands between them, tried to take Tenochmizton but initially failed, fleeing back to the coast. Reaching a large plain, they were able to trick the advancing armies into fighting them on terrain perfect for a war horse charge, turning the tide. They then pushed back to the capital, while unexpected developments took place in the city on the lake. While the Azgat's were primarily a feline empire, a small contingent, say ten-percent, was canine. In this time, half of those canines were killed by an epidemic of distemper, an old-world disease brought over which they had no immunity to. Had there been a disease to strike every mammal, then maybe the city would fall to the Spanish..."

"Instead, during one of the long sieges, Cortes was captured and killed on a causeway. The Spanish left to their coastal holdings, but the natives carried on the siege, starving out the Azgats over years before brutally slaughtering those left in a long awaited act of revenge. These new natives then formed an alliance with the new viceroy and the colonisation began. The natives could not be taken from the land, they were just too numerous. Instead, the colonisers built roads and focussed on the rivers and coast. With better tools, and agricultural techniques to sell, they became a powerful merchant class. Small skirmishes would kick up, but they could be won. With treaties signed and trade developing, Mexigat became what it was today."

He paused, shrugging, before carrying on. "It was a similar affair in South America, bar the Llamcan empire, who were unaffected by disease and used the hostile native terrain to remain the only uncolonized native civilization, surviving today under the Supai dynasty as the Reino Del Sol. In the north though, both canine distemper and various cervine diseases hit the largest sets of native tribes hard. There were no cities or large empires in the east, allowing settlers to easily push west to the great Mississippi. Some species were struck by plagues travelling the other way, most infamously squirrel plague. Most smaller mammals, like groundhogs, were assimilated. But, the times were a-changing."

There was a pause, as a spotlight showed a massive bison, dressed in native gear. "The Bison tribes of the plains, unaffected by disease, could easily field enough forces to hold the expansion back _if _properly equipped. Moreover, some of them had travelled east. Taking European names during their travels in British Upper Canidea, three Bison: Markus, Conrad and Jean, sought to develop their tribes. While Jean, a pioneering industrialist, was buried in an avalanche, the others began building a nation. The Northern Bison Nation played a crucial role in the war of 1812, helping the British-Canidean forces defeat the United States. Set up and independent, but still weak and unstable, Markus chose to secure his people's rights by joining the fledgling Dominion."

There was another pause, then a smile. "Meanwhile, despite the loss of Texas, Mexicat was able to hold on to many of its northern holdings thanks to support from US-wary native forces. But, with many colonisers arriving by ship in the west and a subsequent war of independence, Califurnia and many of the western colonies sought to join the States. Zootopia chose to remain independent of both them and Canidea, as it is to this day. Come the 1860's, there was thankfully no kind of dodgy internal conflict to distract the Union and so, under the command of the horse general Georgi Checkhoove, supposedly a descendent of the great Don Cossack horselords of the past, they pushed forwards. Mexicat was pushed back to the Cowlorado-SanJuan-RioGrande line but held; the future states of Cowlorado, Wyroaming, Idahowl, Ewetah and Nevroarda were colonised; the transcontinental railroad was opened… And then what?"

Another pause, as the lights rose.

"While forced from the rivers and railroads, many native tribes stayed put, working the land but trading with the colonisers, the same as the tribes in northern Mexicat. After all, if they objected, they could go there and do the same. There were certainly scraps and fights over land rights, especially as many of the once disease affected tribes had long since recovered from the epidemics. But, this idea of violence in the wild west was a lie. It was a myth. It was a story. Sure, there were famous heroes and villains back then. Fighters for justice like Quick-Draw McGraw, Zorro and El-Kabong, versus banditos such as Joey James, Bull Cassidy and the Sundance Kit, and Tennessee 'The Kid' Cooper… But, on the other paw, Buffalo Bill, who did exist and was a decorated ex-soldier, was not a gun-slinging outlaw-catcher but an actor, a showman, a wild-west themed circus performer."

The lights rose, revealing the set in all its glory. "This idea of the wild west is a myth, yet we believe it. We believe it as we want to. We believe it because it draws us in. If you want a statistic to chew on, have this one. Many frontier towns had lower murder rates than the big cities." There was a pause, the lights dimmed and re-focussed on Jack, who smiled. "Here's another one. In that time period, a mammal of 137 pounds, or 62 kilograms of weight, would drink an average of 7 gallons, or 26 litres, of pure alcohol per year. In less than three years, they'd drink their own body weight in ethanol. That's the equivalent to a bottle of hard liquor every four days," he announced, stepping over to a cloth draped table and whipping its cover away. Four shots revealed themselves. "Or, it's the equivalent of four and a bit shots a day, every day." He looked at the audience and shrugged. "This was an average," he said, as he stepped forwards into an empty area. There was a light dripping, then some more, and the small crowd gasped as it started to rain on Jack. "Many mammals abstained, or drunk less, or were children. Many drank more, far more." He smiled as he raised his paws to the sky. "It might as well have been raining drink."

And then the lights began going haywire. Behind Jack, the crowd began moving, pushing, shouting. He dropped down into the stage as angry cries rang out. The occasional flash of light would show something going on, though who the mammals were and what they were doing was unclear. Cries and screams and anger-filled shouts called until, out of the blue, a shot rang out.

Everything went black.

And, then, the lights rose. The set had changed, and now a sheriff's office presented itself. Sitting up, a groggy looking wolf (who Judy realised was Legoshi, another old friend from her University Drama Society) got to his feet, stuttering forwards before knocking into the bars of his cell.

There was another groan from another cell, as a deer (NOT the deer she also knew from back then) stood up.

Then a horse joined the three in their imprisonment.

And then, tutting and sauntering in, came a swaggering sheriff. The massive black bear looked at them, just standing there, looming up tall. The deer, looking thin and weak in comparison despite his broad shoulders and massive antler rack, leaned forwards to speak.

The bear roared in his face, sending him and the others flinching back and down, before standing up and patting his belly. "You know," he pondered with a deep Texas twang. "I am a man of tha' law, and I am a man of respect. I am a mammal who is entrusted by this town, y'all can see that by this little badge here, to govern and bring mammals in to face tha' law.

"The law…?" the wolf asked, looking around.

"THE LAW! The law put down by God, don't you hear me son!?" He marched forward, lunging an arm in and grabbing the wolf's foot, dragging it out. The canine whimpered, but could do nothing as the bear's paws climbed up, dragging him against the bars until he was upright. The sheriff sneered, holding onto the prisoner with a paw around his scruff. In the audience, Nick and Skye couldn't help but wince. "The law that you have broken in my town, under my watch, and the law that y'all owe, don't you, boy?"

"W-W-Where am I?"

"Jail, Boy."

"W-W-Why?"

"Murder, Boy." The bear tossed the wolf down, glaring at the two other prisoners. "And I think y'all three both happen to know what we do to murderin' varmints around these here parts, don't we?"

The stage darkened, bar a red light that shone on a hanging noose, up in the corner of the stage.

"But I don't remember anything!" the wolf protested.

"Don't mean nothin' if y'all did it," the bear muttered, before looking over at the others and chuckling. "Say, do y'all two remember?"

They both shook their heads.

"Do any of you know who is dead, at one of your paws?"

They both did the same.

The bear chuckled. "You know, it could be one of you. It could be all of you. I don't think we quite know, yet. Still, I am gonna enjoy watching the judge and jury on this one," he said, before looking out to the crowd. "A jury made of your 'peers' out there," he spoke. "Let's go an' select twelve angry mammals to decide who lives, and who dies."

The stage went black, the curtains withdrew and, bar an unsure koala, the small crowd rose in attempted thunderous applause as Jack came out. He explained how (usually) they'd pick a jury to sit up front out of the crowd, though this time the seven mammals and one reptile present could stay where they were and suffice, before the show went on.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Hang on…" Judy began, not quite sure what to say. "We went and saw a play about some mammals having too much booze and waking up to find out that they didn't remember what they'd got up to the night before…. And then, we had too much booze and don't remember what we got up to the night before…"

"-I know! Isn't this great!" Jack said, twitching and shaking with glee. He then leapt up, twisting and kicking his feet in the air as she did so, before landing back down.

Judy was not impressed. "THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR BINKYING!"

"Yes it is!" he exclaimed. "Don't you see. I get to examine a real-life occurrence of this famously overdone cliché, first pawed! I mean, it was my least favourite thing about the entire plot, given how many times that sort of thing has been done before, even if I was able to subvert it with some secret keeping and prisoner's dilemma stuff. But, regardless, I had to base the plot off of it to make the murder mystery work, and amp up all the conflicts. I mean, I'd never write in a hungover-forget-everything scene for something like this here. I mean, someone who does a hangover amnesia structure for a dating story of all things has to be some unoriginal talentless hack. Pah… But now, I get to observe and learn. What is it really like? What kind of things might I have missed that I can slip in right at the last minute. How does it play out. What does it actually feel like…"

"A headache," Haida mumbled, Jack pausing.

"Yes, I mean, how might that affect my characters…."

"Jack," Nick interrupted. "Maybe quieten down a little? I don't know about it affecting your characters, but Haida might affect you if you keep that up."

"Oh…" he said, "Sorry." He then paused, noticing a pen and paper pad lying on a desk and running off to grab it, before slipping down next to Skye. "Right, notes, notes, notes…" he muttered, busying himself.

"You know," the hyena muttered, "this is like the last time I got crazy drunk. It was a work evening that Ookami organized. I came in the next day and I felt like someone had whacked me over the head. Fenneko was just the same. Isn't that right, Retsuko?"

"Y-y-yep…" she stammered out, a giant smile suddenly plastered across her face. "I totally heard that from both of you…"

"Well," Skye remarked, "it'll go away in a little while. Things heal."

"Some faster than others," Haida mused, pulling up his wounded paw to look at it.

"Ahem," Jack coughed, his eyes gesturing down to Skye's cast.

"Oh… Right, sorry there," he said.

Skye paused for a second or two, her head tilting a little, before she looked down at Jack. "I don't need you to stick up for me, Jack."

"I… -okay, then."

"Yeah," she said, before glancing up. "And don't worry Haida, it wasn't you, it was that paving slab in the…." She trailed off, everyone turning to face her. "Oh, hang on just a minute."

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* * *

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.

"This is pretty," Skye said, peering out of their gondola as they sailed through the Rainforest District.

"I guess it is," Retsuko whispered. "I live here and take them often, so it's just a thing. But right now, it really is." She smiled. "I thought it was a silly idea, but it was great. Thanks."

"Well, it's Carrots who you'll have to thank," Nick pointed out. "Her idea."

"Well," she replied, "I'm sure you had a paw in it too…"

"I can't remember," Nick said, cradling his head as Haida leant over.

"Too much drink?"

"No, more panic induced by a savage jaguar."

"…Right, then…"

Judy sniggered. "We went on one during the nighthowler case. Nick had just saved my badge, took me on here, and it was the first time he opened up about… about a certain day." She paused, waving her boyfriend over and snuggling with him. "It was then I knew that he was my friend, maybe even my best one."

Nick looked down and wrapped her up with his tail. "You know, I didn't realise it for a long time, but it was then that I first loved you."

Judy paused, looking up to him, before leaping up into a full body hug. Skye looked on, wrapping her tail around her bunny, while looking out on the passing scenery. She looked left and right, up and down, smiling as she saw all the little lights pass. "Each one of those is a house… And each one has a mammal in it. Do you ever think about that? Each one with their own life, and their own history, and their own parents and ones who they'll love and ones who they'll hate." She pointed up, her finger fixed on a lit window as they passed it. "There's a private world of dreams and hopes in there. And we'll never know them, and they us."

"All those mammals," Judy said, letting go of Nick and glomping down beside her. "Here we are, trying to make the world a better place for them."

"Well, you are," Skye replied, looking over and smiling. "Even though you'll go your entire lives without meeting them… Same world… Different mammals."

There was a brief pause, before Judy began singing. "_We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after after…_"

Nick heard it and chuckled, joining in along with Skye. "_Running over the same old ground, what have we found?_"

And then Jack, Retsuko and Haida came in for the finale. "_The same old fears. Wish you were here…_"

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.

"Hey, don't you want to join us on this side?" Judy asked, glancing over at Haida and Retsuko, still on the other side. "Be part of the group?"

"I prefer being part of the counterweight," he replied, the bunnies and foxes noting the slight tilt towards their side.

"That's a good idea," Skye said, smiling. She paused, thinking, before looking up, her eyes widened. "Hey, guess where we're going over!"

Everyone looked out over the edge, seeing themselves fly over a mottled, glowing, circle, ever changing its colours. Around it, they could see carved stone steps, with mammals mingling about. Retsuko turned back to her. "This is where you hurt your leg!"

"Yeah," Haida replied. "I mean, over this side is the pavilion thing of that crime boss we busted."

Judy slipped off her railing to have a look, a little unsteady on her feet from what she'd been drinking. She glanced over at it just as they vanished into the trees. "Yikes…" she whispered, shaking her head. She paused, looking around. "Riigghhtt… Not snowing anymore."

"Not snowing?" Nick asked.

She shook her head. "When I saw it, it just looked like it was snowing around us," she mused, going quiet. "And that it was on fire. And that there was a blue spotlight firing up out of it, and I could see its reflection in the pond."

There was a quiet moment for a second or two, before Haida spoke. "I… -think that you've had a bit too much to drink."

"Yeeaahhhnnnnooooommmmaaayyybbbeeeee?" She said.

"Well," Retsuko added. "Where we're going next, you can recover a little. After all, it's not snowing here. We're not in Tundratown anymore, are we?"

"I guess," she mused, walking back to Nick. "I guess…"

The fox nodded. "Don't want you hurting yourself, do we?"

"Hey… I'm not scared of it…"

"It may not be your fear, but it is mine," he noted, petting her a little.

"Mine too," Haida added, looking up and chuckling. "Same old fears."

"I think I fear just being useless," Skye said, before looking down at Jack. "And… and leaving this life… I want to think there's something after, but I know that there likely isn't, and that… that scares me."

"I'm scared of…" Jack began, before going quiet. "Can we come back to me later? I need time to work on my answer."

"I guess I'm scared of scary things," Retsuko said. "I had an incident with what I thought was a break in a while back… And I used to be scared that I'd be stuck in my same old job and same apartment with no-one, forever and ever." She looked up at her hyena and hugged him. "I don't fear that anymore."

Haida smiled and hugged her back. "There, there, Retsy."

"I fear failing others," Judy said, quietly. She'd turned to look over the edge, Nick quickly scooting up to comfort her. "I fear messing up so badly that others are hurt. I fear letting others down. I fear letting other mammals get hurt, which is why I work so hard."

Everyone was quiet for a second or two, the only interruption being a rumble as the sky-tram's grip passed over one of the support towers.

"Well," Nick said, "you're always a trier. Aren't you?"

"Yeah," she replied.

"And I'll always be there for you."

"Thanks Nick," she replied, before chuckling.

"Yeah," he replied. "Just go jumping into danger too often."

"Would it make you worried to hear that I had an urge to help out at that pavilion," she asked.

"Would it make me worried? Given how high up we are, yes, yes it would."

"Well, good thing it was just a silly thought then," she replied, chuckling a bit. "I had the sudden feeling that that thing was terrible… -was _like_ Hatchikoshima bad or something, and I had to go and help."

"That's a rather high standard for badness," Haida pointed out.

Judy shrugged. "I guess. It was just what came to me. Probably the drink."

"Well," Retsuko said, "we'll be doing something different for this bit of the date." She looked over the edge of the tram and smiled. "We're almost there. Haida."

"Right," he said, walking over to pick up Skye. Jack got her crutches, and the rest of them got ready to get off.

.

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* * *

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.

Judy scratched out the 'Hatchikoshima' line on the board, before putting her paws on her hips. "Right then, what do we know so far?" she asked, Skye answering.

"We went to Tundratown, maybe right after the play, and then we went into the Rainforest District for an idea that Retsuko had."

Judy nodded, as Haida spoke. "We also know that we were in Tundratown for a bit… -In fact!" He grabbed his phone, opening it up and scanning through it. "Hang on, it's on yours," he said to Retsuko.

"Oh, right!" the red panda noted, scanning through.

Jack looked on, an ear flopping. "Are you two looking at Selfies to track everything down? As that takes the fun out of this."

There was a pause as everyone turned to look at him.

"Jack," Judy began. "You are a GENIUS!"

"Huh!"

Nick nodded. "I'll hand it to you Stripes," he said, grabbing his phone. "We should have enough pictures on these bad boys to piece everything back together.

"Wait, wait… hang on!"

Skye smiled. "It's true, though I think we're forgetting who actually had the idea first," she said, looking over at Haida and Retsuko.

"Yes, the idea that takes the fun out of this. They didn't take pictures in westerns…"

"Actually," the hyena began, "I was thinking of using the texts we sent to Fenneko to timestamp when we were in Tundratown."

"Yeah," Retsuko said. "We sent them at about ten-pm."

"Stop… -actually, this could be like checking telegrams sent, or…"

"So, the play was six 'til eight," Judy noted, writing a big block on the wall. "Given a bit of time for Jack to give feedback, and getting to Tundratown, we'd be there at nine."

"Ah," Skye noted, looking down at Jack. "Didn't you get some food when the shipping was going on?"

"I… Yes, I was."

"Which means…" Judy began, as she saw Retsuko raise her paw.

"We were likely doing something in between, either in Sahara Square or Tundratown."

"Bingo!" Judy cheered, smiling. "Great detective work, you two."

They both looked at each other and smiled, before crossing their arms and nodding.

"So," Judy began, "we can then use selfies and stuff to work out what that was!"

"Wait," Jack began, "I thought we'd dropped that."

"Nu-uh," Nick teased. "Stripes, we're going to use your idea whether you like it or not."

"I don't like it!"

"Too bad," the red fox dismissed, as he scrolled through. "Ah-Ha!" He turned his phone around, and showed off the picture to everyone. "We went sledding!"

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* * *

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.

"Race to the bottom?" Judy asked, looking around.

"Yeah," Haida agreed. "Why not?"

Jack looked at both of them. "Just an FYI, you can't really blame Skye and I if we come in last."

"And if you do better?" Nick asked.

Jack crossed his arms and looked on smugly. "Then you were beaten by a cripple." The smug look was then removed by a liberal application of snowball to the face.

"Don't call me that," Skye said. Her cast had been wrapped and tied up in some plastic bags, while she settled down, head first, onto her sled.

"I was just trying to help."

"By getting you two into a no-shame, all-glory set-up," Nick pointed out, as he sat down on his own sled. Judy sat in his lap, smiling as a tail came around her.

"Right then…" Haida was muttering, as he sat feet first on his sled. Like all of them, there were some skid-steering brakes on either side, and he gave them a little practice. Jack, on Skye's back, was controlling their ones, while Nick and Judy both held on. "One long sledding piste. Ready, Retsy?"

"Ready!" she said, lying head first on his chest.

"Right then," Nick announced, nudging forwards. "We get into position. We take a selfie…" he broke off to do just that. "And then, we play this MP3 file Ash just sent me when I told him what we were planning."

Nick pressed play on the '_Ski-Sunday theme. MP3_' folder and held up his paw as he counted off of it. "Three, two, one, GO!" he announced, as the music played and they let loose.

They quickly began picking up speed as they went down the slope, Nick hunching over with Judy, both making sure that their brakes were off. They didn't have much time for fun though, as the far heavier and more streamlined Haidsuko team slipped out in front. "Hey…" Judy complained, before blinking as Jack and Skye slipped past on their other side. "Lie back, Nick."

"Right," he said, bending back.

"More!"

"Okay…"

"More!"

"Judy, this is as far as…"

"MORE!" she called, bending herself back hard enough to send Nick flat. "See! We did it!"

"And now I can't see!"

"I… TURN RIGHT!"

Nick bent that way, flinching as he saw themselves glance past a snowmammal. "CARROOOTTTTSSS!"

Wiggling back down him and reaching out with a paw, Nick felt her stretch his head back onto the level, just in time for him to lean to the right as the piste split up.

"Great idea, we can take the black run down and catch them up."

"BLACK RUUUUUAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Gritting his teeth, holding onto the sled for dear life as it bounced and rumbled down the well-used and carved slope, Nick bent them past a few surprised skiers and cut across the tail end of the piste. They'd just cut the corner of the others and, thanks to him, were catching up. He could see team Haidsuko up ahead in the lead, with team SavageSkye in their slipstream behind. The music kept playing and Nick, leaning as he went, curved in and past them.

"Huh!" Haida muttered, as they slipped past.

"YESS! GO TEAM WILDEHOPPS!" Judy cried, "We're gonna…. Ohhhh…." She trailed off as they both hit a shallow part of the slope, the snow well carved by a full day of use. With his bigger sled and much higher momentum, Haida rolled back into the front.

"We're doing it!" Retsuko announced.

"No, no, no, no…" Judy muttered, as she looked up ahead. "Hang on, look over there!"

Nick did just that. The end of the slope was coming into view and the path down was relatively shallow, ending in a large area where snow cannons were busy at work replenishing the base. "Not looking good, fluff."

"No, look to the side!" Nick did just that, spotting a piste basher working its way up, a trail of perfect corduroy left behind it.

"Ah-ha!" he cheered, turning sharply. He even pulled one of his brakes to shift them across as quickly as possible, clipping past the machine and lining straight up into the grooves it had left. They began whipping down the slope, whereas Haida's sled was having to push through cut-up slow snow. Halfway there and they slid past.

"YES! YES! YES!" Judy yelled.

"We're not there yet," Nick called. "Look!" Looking down the slope, she realised that the basher hadn't come from the very bottom. They were going to have to cut across it, and push through some very choppy snow very, very soon. "HOLD ON!"

She clutched him hard, and he felt like he was going to snap the sled in his paws, and then they hit the chop. They were bashed about, up and down, almost torn off their sled or tipped over. Nick pulled back their brakes, slowing them down enough so they just about landed on the downhill part of a hump instead of colliding with the uphill part of the next one. The sudden uplift was still rough, and, as they broke through the chop in a spray of powder, they began slowly sliding down the home straight. Snow began fluttering around them as they passed by roaring snow cannons and Nick leaned further back, lifting the nose of his sled so it began running on top of the powder.

"Looks like we have it in the bag!" came a cheer from behind, and the two watched Haida and Retsuko slip right past them, carried by their momentum. Then, as he hit deep powder, their weight sunk them in, a bow wave kicked up in front of them.

They were still faster.

Still faster…

Just a bit faster…

As fast….

Slower…

Nick and Judy, skimming along the top of the powder, began catching up. "It's going to be neck and neck!" Judy gasped.

"Not if we can help it!" They turned, and watched Jack and Skye slide past, finally exiting Haida's slipstream. They had the same speed that Haida and Retsuko once had, but they glided along the top of the snow drift, past Nick and Judy and then past Haida and Retsuko, pipping them to the post.

It was a photo finish, but their momentum just about carried Haida and Retsuko into second place.

"Wooohhhhh…"

"Yeah!"

"Rematch!" Judy announced, standing up.

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* * *

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.

"Yesssss…." Skye cheered, shaking her paw.

Jack couldn't help but join in. "_Weeee arrrreeee the champions, my friends…. Ba-ba-ba-dahhh… And weee, will keep fighting, to the end…. Na-na-na-naahhhhh. Oh, we are the champions, no time for los…- _PPFFHMMMMMPHHH."

As he recovered from Judy's expertly tossed throw pillow, Haida looked on at his paw. "Now, did I hurt you then…? No, you were still okay at Papy Mick's."

"Papy Mick's?" Retsuko asked, before all eyes went wide.

"Papy Mick's!"

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* * *

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.

The group settled down inside the warm Tundratown restaurant; officially 'The Old Wolf Tavern' but commonly known as 'Papy Mick's' after its owner. They sat and chatted to each other as Nick brought them all some big mugs of the places famous hot chocolate. "It's been ages since I last had this," he said, taking his own mug. "But if it's as good as it was before, then…" He trailed off as he had a sip, as did everyone else.

.

.

…

"Wow… I can taste the cloves and stuff," Retsuko whispered.

"This is amazing," Haida added, sipping from his massive mug.

"All those wasted years," Nick added, sniffing a little. "Forgetting how good this was."

"My native people invented this…" Jack said quietly. "It is Papy Mick's drink now."

"Cheese and crackers…"

"Actually, hot and chocolate," Nick teased, causing Judy to guffaw into her drink.

"Could I have a second?" Skye asked. "But with Haida's mug?"

"Careful with the theobromine intake Skye…" Nick warned, before looking down at his drink. "Even if I do agree with you. One-hundred percent."

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* * *

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.

"What do you mean you don't do deliveries?"

…

"Okay, thank you good sir." Nick hung up his phone and looked to the crowd. "Apparently they have a very nice breakfast menu. Any better ideas?"

"No."

"No."

"No."

"No."

"It's on the other side of the city," Jack protested. "But no."

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.

"Right then," Judy said. "All the more reason to wrap this up sooner. We did play, sledding, food and drinks at Papy Mick's, shipping, ride over into the Rainforest District…" She paused, then looked at Haida. "Was your paw okay on the sky tram ride?"

"Yeah," he said, scratching his head. "In fact, it had to be fine as I played bass with it later…"

…

"-Also, I played bass later."

Nick and Retsuko both filtered through their phone. "He played bass later. We all played stuff."

.

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* * *

.

.

Like every reggae song in existence, a drum roll signalled the start before a groovy tune took over. Drinks flowing, mammals cheering, the six of them were up on stage at a karaoke/Guitar Hero setup. At the back, Haida was playing his bass so well that the backing had turned off for him, while Jack tried to keep up on the drums. The others had cheap plastic arcade guitars, and all followed the lyrics on the screen. "_Don't worry_," they sang, before Skye tried to hit the right keyboard notes, the backing system playing the original organ chords instead. "_-About a thing… 'Cause every little thing, gonna be all right!_" Nick smiled as he nudged up to Judy, wrapping his tail around her as she snuggled up to him. "_Singin: don't worry, about a thing. 'cause every little thing, gonna be all right!"_

Jack and Skye shared a look, while Retsuko nudged up to Haida. "_Rise up this mornin', smiled with the risin sun."_ The hyena and red panda shared one.

Marooned at their posts, Skye and Jack blew each other a kiss, knowing damn sure that they'd make it up to each other afterwards. "_Three little birds, pitch by my doorstep. Singin sweet songs… Of melodies pure and true."_

Together, the applause in the crowd rising, they sung out into the open. "_Sayin, this is my message to you-ou-ou… Singin': Don't worry, about a thing. 'Cause every little thing, gonna be all right!"_

So they carried on and finished to a wave of applause. Then, they put all their instruments down and lined up for one great encour at the end, repeating the song once more to the cheers of the crowd.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"We should do karaoke more often," Skye said, smiling.

"Yup," Retsuko cut in. "-As that's all we did of that, that night."

"It might not have been," Haida mused.

"-Well, maybe I'm wrong, -but-who-care's-right?"

"Hang on," the hyena interrupted, closing his eyes as he strummed out some notes with his paw. Retsuko sighed with relief as he returned. "We did a lot more."

.

.

* * *

.

.

Skye pressed down some rhythmic notes, the neon like sounds playing out, as Jack began pounding the drums and Haida pushed on with his bass. Nick, holding his microphone, nudged up to the hyena and together they sung. "_Once in a lifetime…. -This suffering of fools…_" The music volume began increasing as the two crooned. "_To find our way home, to break in these paws…_." The music began hitting a crescendo, as they picked up. "_Once in a lifetime…"_

Retsuko echoed it again. "_Once in a lifetime…_" and then they sung it together. "_ONCE IN A LIFETIME._"

Jack let rip with the drums, almost taking over from the computer, as all six belted out the chorus, paws up and heads banging. "_Give me a shot at the night…! Give me a moment, some kinda mysterious… Give me a shot at the night...! Give me a moment, some kinda mysterious…_"

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Obviously," Nick continued, "we then moved onto…"

.

.

* * *

.

.

"_Are we mammal?_" they sung, as the drums beat behind them. "_Or are we dancer. My sign is vital, my paws are cold… And I'm on my knees, looking for the answer. Are, we, mammal… Or are we dancer_?"

Nick kicked forwards, clutching the microphone and pouring his soul in. "_Will your system be alright, when you dream of home tonight? There is no message we're receiving, let me know, is your heart still beating?_"

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Which," Skye mused, "had only one logical ending."

.

.

* * *

.

.

"You know," Nick said, panting. "This next one, well the first line at least, is me… Because I used to wall myself off, I used to be scared about telling the truth…" He then turned to Judy. "I love you Fluff," he said, smiling. Looking at the crowd, he gave them a wink. "As you can see, I've been coming out of my cage, and I've been doing just fine…"

The six were assaulted with screams and cheers as they kicked off, Nick letting his voice rip. "_I've been coming out of my cage, and I've been doing just fine…"_

.

.

* * *

.

.

"I mean, yeah."

"No, totally."

"It was practically a given at this point."

They all settled down, smiling as they remembered, and then Judy's eyes widened.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"_Jealousy_…" they all sung, headbanging as they went. "_Turning saints into the sea…._"

The crowd was getting rowdier, and someone tossed an orange object onto the stage. Leaping up, Judy caught it, and immediately glared at the mammal who threw it. "_I'll be returning this to where it belongs!_" she warned. "-_Destiny is calling me. Open up my eager eyes. 'Cause I'm Mr Brightside…"_

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Oh, thank god. Oh, thank god. Oh, thank god…."

"You know, I still want to know why you…."

_Thump…_

"Again with the fox abuse Carrots. But point taken."

"Okay," she said, getting back to the board. "Play, sledding, Papy Mick's, gondola, karaoke, home… But we still need to know why I feel a faint anger at Skye, Jack's latent fear of Retsuko, what that number is and where we got this board from."

"And my paw," Haida reminded her.

"Right, and your paw."

"You know," the hyena carried on. "Surely, somewhere in there, there'd be a talk about bad bosses or…"

"MOTHERS," Judy and Retsuko said in unison.

.

.

* * *

.

.

Back in Papy Mick's, each having some mulled wine, the bunny doe and red panda sow were engaged in heated conversation. "-And then they said that it was the safest role on the force, and cheered!"

"-She broke into my house to do the cleaning! She'd secretly made a spare key!"

"No way…"

"I thought it was a robber. I called the cops! It was so embarrassing to explain it all."

"Bwahahaha…. Oh, if we'd have been the ones to meet you after that call."

"Don't, please don't…" She breathed in and out. "At least your ones haven't lumbered you with dresses."

"One advantage of being a farm girl," Judy said, taking another swig. "How do you cope?"

"Well….."

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Oh no," Retsuko groaned, as Judy's eyes widened. "Oh no-no-no-no…"

.

.

* * *

.

.

"**RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRRRRRAARRRRRRRRR RRAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEE!"**

Judy felt herself get thrown back, head over heels, by the noise, ending up wedged upside down between two foxes. Haida sat by them, nodding his head, while Jack was trying to stuff his ears deeper into his ears.

"**THIS IS HOW I BLOW OFF STEAM!**

**IT IS NOT SOME FAIRYTALE DREAM! **

**I HAVE RAAAAAGGGGEEEE! **

**RAAAAAAAAGGGGGGEEEEEEEE!"**

Bracing herself, Judy got up again and marched forwards, grabbing a microphone.

"**I AM NOT SOME DUMB BUNNY! **

**I WILL GIVE YOU A RUN FOR YOUR MONEY! **

**DON'T CALL ME CUUUTTEEEE! **

**DON'T CALL MEEEEE CUUUUTTTEEEEE!"**

Behind them, Nick turned to Haida, covering his ears and shouting out. "DOES THIS NORMALLY MAKE THEM CUTER AND MAKE ME LOVE THEM MORE!?"

"YES!"

"PAWSOME. WHAT DO YOU THINK JACK!?"

Jack just stuffed his ears in even further, before doing an unintentionally excellent Dark Helmet impression. "MY EAAAARRSSSS…. ARE GOING TO IMPLOOODDEEEE…."

.

.

* * *

.

.

"THAT! WAS! METAL!"

Retsuko rose slightly, and smiled. "You're okay with it?"

"Okay?" Judy asked. "I want to do it again!"

"I DON'T" Jack cried, knotting his ears with his paws. Skye bent down to fuss and pet him, as Judy clicked her fingers and grabbed her pen. Jack's fear of Retsuko was deftly crossed off the board, as Haida walked up. "You can get rid of the number too."

"Huh? You mean 68-1606?"

"Well, not exactly," he said, grabbing Retsuko and flipping her upside down.

"Heyyyy….ohhh. That makes sense now."

"What does?" Judy asked, as Haida put Retsuko down.

"You remembered it when you were upside down on the chair," she said, grabbing the pen and writing on the board. "It's not 68-1606… It's: 9091-89!"

"And that is?" Judy asked, only to flinch down as Jack screamed in horror.

"It's _EVIL….._"

They all turned to him, the jackrabbit cowering up into Skye and burying his ears, the swift fox doing her best to comfort him. "It's the number I type in for my death metal track," Retsuko explained.

"Yup," Nick said, recognising it. "Sooo… We just need to remember what happens after." He picked out his phone, only to be cut off by Haida humming a familiar tune. He looked to the hyena, now standing up and air-bassing, the hyena looking back and smiling, an expression shared by the fox. They then broke out in song together. "_-Fox, on the run! You scream and, everybody comes…_"

They broke off, firing each other finger guns and a wink, as Jack turned to Skye and sung too. "_I believe in miracles. Where you from, you sexy thing?"_

Skye cuddled him back and sung out her own song. "_I got my mind set… on… you… -I got my mind set… on… you… -I got my mind set… on… you… -I got my mind set… on… you… -But it's gonna take a bunny! A whole lot of cuddly bunny! It's gonna take my cuddly bunny… To do it right, Jack."_

Not to be out-done, Haida looked at his mate and sung out his own lyrics to a different song. "_I love you-Rets-ko, so put another dime in the jukebox baby….I love you-Rets-ko, so come an' take your time an' dance with me!"_

Both girls and Jack were feeling warm and fuzzy at the attention, while Judy rubbed up to Nick.

Nick rolled his eyes and looked down at her. "_BUNNY you're a doe, make a big noise. Policing in the street, gonna be a real cop someday… You got mud on your face... You big disgrace… Kicking your can all over the place, singin!_"

"_-WE WILL, WE WILL, BOOK YOU!_" she interrupted, headbanging. All bar Jack, who looked like he was about to have a flashback, then joined in likewise. "_-WE WILL, WE WILL, BOOK YOU!"_

Haida began air guitaring, Nick nodding along until the end before rounding off with a smile as he brought out his phone. "Not to be a killjoy, I could happily spend all of today reenacting the songs we sung last night, but if we want to get to Papy Mick's for breakfast we'll need to get a move on." The others nodded as he filtered through the pictures before sniggering. Then chuckling. Then pointing it in Haida's face.

"GAAAAHHHH! NOT AGAIN!"

"What?" Judy asked, before seeing the picture with her own eyes.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"You can put the cone down, Fluff."

"No…." She mumbled. "Gotta return it to the ZPD."

"Is that a drunk bunny or a tired bunny?"

"It's a…" she mumbled, lumbering towards him but missing with her swing.

"I'll take that as a both, then," he replied, smiling as he picked her up and carried her. He wasn't the only one, Retsuko was sitting on Haida's shoulders. They were cutting through a nocturnal mall, all heading straight back to Nick's place to crash for the night, and feeling the effort of the long night catch up to them in earnest. But just a little way back, with no distractions, and…

"GAAAAHHH! NOT AGAIN!"

Everyone turned to see Haida, who'd stopped outside a locked up basketball shooting game. There were plenty of prizes available, including some unusually familiar hyena plushies. "Who's even making those!?"

"Those?" Nick asked, before clicking his fingers, his eyes going wide. "Zoobro toy company."

"I…" he began, "but why?"

"Well…" Nick began.

"Y-you know! Is this why you laughed at me earlier?"

"Let me explain…"

.

* * *

.

_Over a decade earlier, a tired Nick and Finnick were manning a pawpsicle stand. Usually, they camped outside rich rodent banker sites. Today, though, was the beginning of the bountiful University End-of-Term seasons. Exams, coursework, rising temperatures and fried nerves, it made the campuses across the city prized pickings. Pulling out another pawpsicle, Nick paused as a weary looking female hyena slumped next to him._

_And then began crying._

"_Hey, hey…" he began, "it's okay. Not the end of the world. Have a pawpsicle, and…"_

_He was cut off as she slammed a pawful of dollars at him, he returning a pawful of pawpsicles. "Now, if you need to talk…"_

"_I did something terrible," she sniffed, looking up. "I'm… I'm a terrible sister, I…"_

"_Hey," he began, his head tilting slightly from confusion. "What gives?"_

_She sniffed, chomped down a dozen pops in one go, and spoke. "I just won a job placement… I…"_

"_That's good," Nick said. "Unless it's for an evil company, which some mammals might think as bad but, you know what, screw them. You're the one making money."_

"_I… I won't be. Well, sort of… That's the problem," she sighed. "I'm… I was studying graphic art and design and… This big toy company said they'd run a competition. Whoever makes the cutest toy wins and gets the job and, in return, they get the toy… And I was tired, and rushing it, and had no ideas, and… All I had was my goofy tomboy fifteen-year-old brother, and so I made him into a plush…"_

"_So?"_

"_I didn't ask him…"_

"_Oh."_

"_And it won, and they're going to make it, and I don't know how to tell him."_

"_Hey, why not tell him when he first sees one," he advised. "I mean, what's the chance he'll ever see one in real life?"_

.

* * *

.

"What's the chance, huh!" Haida yelled, punching a nearby wall. "OWWwwwww…."

He shook his paw, hissing at the pain, and looked at the toys. "I am going to buy a dozen, fill her room when we next meet up, and we're going to have a talk!"

.

.

* * *

.

.

"What's the chance, huh!" Haida yelled, assaulting a sofa before flinching back. "Owwww….." He flicked his paw, rubbing it before scowling. "Next family meet up, I'm going to buy a dozen of those and fill her room with them! Charlotte, you and I are going to have a chat!"

"Huh?" Retusko asked, pausing as she looked up at him.

"What?"

Jack slipped out, still in the undersized fox onesie. "I think she's going to ask something very serious," he said, stepping up to the hyena. "Did you just have the balls to do a flashback in a flashback!?"

"That was me, Stripes," Nick said.

"You madmammal, you!"

"I was actually going to ask about the sister's name," Retsuko said.

"My parents named my sister after the place they went on honeymoon," he said, shrugging. "The Queen Charlotte islands… And when I was born it had been renamed back to the indigenous Haida Gwaii, so they rolled with it."

…

"Oh, fair enough," Retsuko said, everyone shrugging in agreement.

"So," Judy said. "Just one thing left."

"Okay," Jack interrupted, paw up. "I confess, it was me."

.

.

* * *

.

.

"You know what would be funny?" Jack said.

"What?" Skye asked, as she walked beside him with her crutches.

"If… Just like in my play, we drank so much that we forget everything the next day. It would be amazing. We could actually live through one of those things! More... real life… feedback for my play."

"Yeah," Haida chuckled. "Me and Retsuko are thinking of doing a detective course, maybe it could be practice."

"I'm afraid my apartment doesn't have a lab in it," Nick joked, as he wavered a little. He held himself steady, made sure he had a firm grip on the bunny in his paw, before carrying on.

"It will have a traffic cone," Judy mumbled, still holding on to it.

"Hmmm," Jack mumbled, before pausing. "Is that a whiteboard there?" he asked, pointing to a nearby skip. They paused, walked over, and pulled it out. "There's even a pen; that works! Let's take it back."

"It's a long way back to my flat," Nick pointed out.

"It has wheels."

"It's still a long way back."

"We're drunk!"

"I'm… my paws are full," Haida said. "Or hurt."

…

"I'll push it myself!" Jack announced, standing beside it and pushing it along. Skye scooted up alongside him, chuckling as he pushed. "A-hem… Skye… I'm doing not-lazy exercise right now…" he said, the vixen burst into laughter. "Personal improvement. Onwards!"

And on they went, finding their way back, joking around a bit, before all slipping to bed. Eventually, Judy awoke, tired and groggy. She slipped in for a shower, washed herself down, dried herself, and then had a giant hyena walk in.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Hey, thanks Jack, I have a new whiteboard!" Nick cheered. "In fact… If I remember…" He turned it around and, pointing into one of the corners, they all sniggered.

'_Smellwether sucks.' _

"I think we can all agree to that," Nick said, paws on his hip. He was cut off though by a grumbling stomach, and looked to the others.

"Papy Mick's?"

"Papy Mick's," they all agreed, as they all got dressed and set out together. It was a decent trip around the city, but as they went they talked and laughed like old friends. Everything was good, everything was fun, Judy had even almost forgotten that she'd felt weird about Skye.

After all, they'd pieced together the night before, hadn't they?

They knew what had happened and that, bar some notable karaoke and a crime against love, they hadn't done anything that would come back and bite them.

But she hadn't quite forgotten it and, as they rattled on a train through the Rainforest District, variously recounting the many songs they'd been singing the night before, her eyes widened.

She remembered.

She remembered it all.

.

Not long later, at the restaurant, orders were being placed and noses sniffed the air. The big wolf owner personally brought out the largest helpings of his drink that he legally could, laying them out besides the waffles, pancakes, French toast and other sweet breakfast treats that they'd been savouring.

Judy held back, watching as everyone talked. Jack and Retsuko were going on about the merits of a death metal opera, the hare having decided that, with sufficient ear protection, such a thing might be tolerable. Haida was busy by himself, furiously tapping away at his phone, evidently unable to wait any length of time before confronting certain family members about certain things. Finally, there was Nick and Skye, looking at each other and talking quietly. By all means, with her ears, Judy should have been able to pick up each and every little thing that they'd been talking about. But her heart wasn't in it. Instead, she just kept on thinking back to what she'd remembered.

Finally, though, Skye got up to go to the bathroom. She held back a second or two, before asking if anyone could help her with the narrow steps down, Judy volunteering. She held open the side door for her, before the swift fox vixen noticed just how narrow and steep it was. Sighing, she sat down on the top step and began sliding herself down.

"Is it as fun as when you were a kit?" Judy asked, Skye huffing a little.

"I guess," she shrugged, her ears folding back as she did it. Regardless, the pouty vixen kept at it. "I think I remember doing this once."

"Well, as a kit," Judy noted, stepping down beside her. "You did it as an adult, too. Last night."

Skye froze on the step, her ears folding hard against her head as she moved it around to look at Judy. "So…" she said, the words hanging on her tongue. "You remember?"

…

"Yes. I remember," Judy said solemnly. "And so do you."

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Woah there…" Judy warned, noticing Retusko struggle with a set of steaming mugs. The hot chocolate had run out and, though it'd take forty or so fox sized mugs of the stuff for them to hit the LD50 mark, toxicity awareness was drilled into all species at a young age. It was drilled in again when mammals were older and getting to the stage where alcohol might be in the mix as well. So, out of habit they'd ordered a second and final round of it in the same, ordinary, mugs. Still, it seemed tough on poor Retsuko, who'd chosen to try and bring them all across. "Let me help you."

"Uh… It's okay," she said, but Judy was having none of it. She grabbed the massive mug Haida was having, as well as her own, making life much easier for her friend. She relaxed a bit, and couldn't help but smile. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," she said, lifting up Haida's mug.

"You make it look so easy. Though I guess you do training."

"Yeah. Need lots of it to be in the ZPD."

"I just do yoga," she replied, as they began making their way back.

"You know," Judy said. "I was thinking about starting some of that. Maybe we could do it together."

"That would be great. You, me, Gori and Washimi…"

"I guess those are your friends."

"They're higher ups in the company," Retsuko explained. "One's a gorilla, the other a…"

"-Secretary bird?" Retsuko blinked as Judy's jaw hit the floor. "No way!"

"Huh?"

"Does it also have an instructor who shouts '_PROTEIN'_ a lot," Judy said, doing her best impersonation.

"Yes!"

"I saw them in the park today," she giggled.

"Woah," Retsuko chuckled, before she realised she was getting dangerously close to spilling her drinks. Her eyes widening in alarm, she steadied them, before carrying on. "Anyway, thanks, but I'm used to carrying lots of drinks." She paused, noticing the foxes. "How do you think they'll take this being the last."

"Oh, Skye likely won't mind," Judy said. "Neither will Jack or I, given that we're just as susceptible so this is our last drink too. Nick, though, will probably do his hammiest acting while you and Haida keep on drinking… Lucky you."

Retsuko giggled. "To be fair, I don't know how toxic it is for Haida. Bigger mammals get a bigger mug I guess, but I don't know how many he can take. I know rodents like mice have a very high tolerance, I think pigs or goats do too." She paused, sniffing it in. "Just a shame the safe stuff doesn't taste as nice."

"Yup," Judy agreed, pausing as a large bear cut across the path.

"It's so nice meeting you," Retsuko said, turning to her and smiling.

"You too."

"And Nick, I was a bit worried, but he seems great fun."

Judy paused. "Why would you be worried?"

Retsuko shrugged. "Oh, it's just that when hanging out with Skye, she kept on talking about how he was when he was younger. She didn't like him them."

Judy blinked a few times, glancing up at the vixen and remembering, a scowl slowly appearing on her muzzle. "Just what kind of things was she saying?" she asked.

"Oh, just that he was melodramatic, blamed his faults on others, tried to drag others down and such. Probably just being a moody teenager at the time."

"Right," Judy said, not quite convinced.

"But she also said he seemed to have improved a lot, and she didn't say he was like this now. She said he probably changed, and I'm happy to see that's the case."

"Yeah," Judy agreed, her anger slowly abating. "It is."

"Yup. Lots of teen drama about a little event, but he got over it."

Judy froze again, the wheels in her mind beginning to turn, as frost grew over them. "_Little_ event?" she asked, glancing at the red panda.

"Skye said he kicked up a load of fuss about nobody ever trusting foxes after one bad incident, or something…"

Judy didn't speak back. Retsuko didn't want to ask why, as she could see the mugs in the bunny's paw beginning to shake. The cop shot a furious scowl at Skye, and almost growled out the next words. "That wasn't just a _little _event. It's not my place to tell you w_hat _it was, other than that it was truly horrible, and if Skye thinks she can downplay it while spreading filthy rumours about _my _boyfriend, _then she has another thing coming…"_

"Huuuhhhhh…. Oh no, please don't fight… Please don't fight…."

"We're going to have a little _chat_ in private," she hissed, looking at the vixen. "If we fight or not is up to her."

Retsuko gulped, but carried on as Judy marched forwards, placing the drinks down. Thanks was given, but she ignored it, glaring at her. How dare she. How dare she talk about _her _fox behind his back. How dare she downplay the most horrible episode in his life. How dare she make things even harder for him, when he most certainly had it hard enough.

Fortunately, she was getting out to use the bathroom. Nick warned her that the stairs were narrow and steep and, taking a breath in, she asked for some help. Before anyone could answer, Judy said that she also needed the toilet, and it made sense for a girl to help her.

She waited until Skye was slipping down the first few steps before she opened her mouth.

"Retsuko said something," she said, her voice harsh and stern. Pausing as she went, Skye looked up at her.

"Huh?"

"About things you've been telling her about Nick," she said again. "Bad things, about Nick, behind everyone's back."

The vixen paused, not quite sure what to say. "I… -When she asked about him, I said that he seemed to have changed, but when I knew him…"

"Yeah," Judy cut off. "When you 'knew him'." She crossed her arms, her nose twitching furiously. "But you were still talking to them and telling them bad things about _my _fox. _Lies _about _my_ fox!"

"-Lies? I wasn't…"

"Don't you start," Judy hissed, marching right up next to her. "He has suffered his entire life from mammals judging him. Misjudging him. Spreading lies and rumours about him and making his life worse just because he was born as a fox, and you…"

"-And I wasn't born as a fox!?" Skye cut in, her brow furrowing. "I don't think you've noticed, but I'm the other fox here. Maybe not a red one, so maybe not quite as big of a target, but I don't think that the kind of people who hate on foxes are that discerning. Anyway, I was there when he was younger, you were not." She shot a finger into Judy's chest. "So, when talking about 'fox' stuff, I think I get to do that. And, when it comes to what Nick w_as_ like, I was there. I was there to know it as the utter B-S it was."

"Well maybe you should have been there to try and help him!" Judy scolded.

"I DID!" she screamed back, the bunny flinching slightly. Skye shook her head and pinched the bridge of her muzzle, breathing out. "I met him, I talked to him, I listened time after time to him saying that nothing mattered. I tried to point out that I was doing well, that I had a future, and that if he bothered to give a damn he could too. But no. Nothing I did could get through that thick skull of his, so I cut my losses and gave up on him. Because I was not going to let myself be dragged down by a lost cause…"

"-He is not a lost cause. You were out there with him just then and you could quite clearly see that."

"…Yes, it seems that you had a trick up your sleeve that I hadn't," Skye admitted. "So, what, am I a bad mammal because I didn't figure out the right formula?"

"You're a bad mammal because you slandered him behind his back to your friends, even when they just wanted to meet him! You poisoned the well even after he'd changed!"

"And I said he likely had changed," she defended. "But I didn't know for sure…"

"Maybe you should have kept your muzzle shut."

"And let Haida and Retsuko, who were idolising him, get let down and burned if it was still the old Nick?"

"Who's to say that 'old Nick' would have been let down and burned them. What's wrong with old Nick?"

Skye's brow furrowed. "What's wrong with a self-hating hypocrite who tries to drag down anyone around him?"

"Or," Judy pressed, "what's wrong with a disillusioned mammal who was traumatised when young due to the bullying he received because of his species? You were a fox, surely you knew what it was like to be bullied because of it?"

Skye paused, thinking for a few seconds before shaking her head. "Yes, I was picked on a few times because I was a fox. I've had jerks refuse me service or walk away because of it. But do you know what else they bullied me for? I got teased after they found out I was adopted. They teased me because my mother was a different species. They teased my sister and I because _we_ were a different species. I was snubbed by some other girls as I was interested in mechanics and not boring girly stuff. Jerks found things to tease me about and pick me on because guess what? Jerks exist. Bullies exist. And they will find something and they will pick you on it, because that's what they do." She paused, taking a breath in before carrying on.

"Do you know what I thought? Screw them! I worked hard, I got good grades, yes I missed on some opportunities because of some jerks but so do others. We're in a city with over a thousand species and I'm pretty sure that every one of those has at least one grudge against another. My father was a well respected teacher, mammals trusted us. But do you know why they didn't trust Nick? Because he hung about at the back of the class, because he stayed with the troublemaker crowd, because he'd smuggle in food and snacks to sell up at a mark-up. He'd keep old test papers and marked sheets from one year and sell the answers to those repeating it. All this time, he kept on telling me that it was no use being respectable. Just 'give the masses what they want' and 'play the role society casts you as'. But he was such a hypocrite, becoming the exact thing he didn't want to be seen as…"

"He felt like he had no choice…"

"He already had a choice and he made it," Skye justified. "Heck, if Nick really thought he couldn't do it in Zootopia, he could just move out. As long as you avoid a few certain towns, most places in The States are fine with foxes; it was about that time that the entire Mesa City mob were disbanded by a hotshot vixen inspector sent by interpol. He just ignored that when I pointed it out, claiming it was just a token hire, as he didn't want to change. Did you know that he used to have a host of friends before he went off the rails? Different mammals and different species. I think there was a porcupine girl who talked about how he put on a magic show for her birthday, and another kid who talked about how he traded up some little bit of junk, going up and up until he got his mother concert tickets. He had friends, he had mammals who trusted him, and he was smart… -And he threw that all away after some dumb event, and then tried to drag me down with him. I decided that I wanted to have nothing to do with that toxic personality. And then he saves the city, and yes, I can get the idea that he's changed. But I don't know, so when I have some new friends who idolise him, is it a bad thing that I want to at least prepare them for the worst case?"

…

"Skye," Judy said. "Do you even know what that event was?"

"It… Some bullying, or…"

"He tried to join the Junior Ranger Scouts when he was eight," she said. "It was his biggest dream and, right after he swore to be trustworthy, they asked 'even though you're a fox?' They then held him down and forced a police muzzle on him."

Skye paused, blinking, her ears going down. "That's horrible," she admitted. "But he kept this up for years…"

"He was mute for a few," she cut in. "I actually saw the records, it traumatised him so badly it took a year or two of therapy to find his voice again."

Skye flinched back further. "It… It really hit him that bad, but it was just…"

"Maybe you think you could weather it," Judy said, sighing. She suddenly felt a bit exhausted. "Maybe you could have, easily. But he couldn't. Don't resent him for that, you hear?"

"I hear… I wouldn't," she admitted, looking up again. "I never knew it was that bad. I mean, I think I could take it, but he couldn't. I don't resent him for that; being a mechanic I know that you can hit even the strongest materials weakly in the right place and they can just snap. But back then I just knew him as a bad mammal. Whenever I was talking to him back then, that's all I knew… -I always told Retsuko and Haida that he likely had changed. I just wanted to protect my friends…"

"And I don't want you hurting my Nick," Judy said. "He's been hurt enough already."

"Okay, I… -what do you want me to do?"

"Huh…"

Skye looked up at her. "What's done is done. What do you want me to do to make it right?"

…

"Or don't you know, and you just wanted to…"

"-Apologise," Judy cut in. "For a start."

"For what exactly? The speaking behind his back, or everything?"

Judy held back a second or two, not quite sure what to say, before answering, a smile on her face. "You know what, you already apologised on your own for a lot of stuff at the baby shower. How about you find Nick, tell him in private what you did, and say you're sorry. Say you're sorry for colouring Haida and Retsuko's views before they met you. Say sorry for saying that without knowing the truth. Does that sound fair…"

…

"Yes," Skye agreed. "It does."

"Okay then," Judy said. She was still a bit worked up, still had a slight trepidation but, hopefully, things would all even out. So, she helped Skye down and then up again, and the pair returned just as a crime against romance had been committed.

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* * *

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"I'm sorry…"

"No worries, Skye," Judy said, as she helped the swift fox vixen down. She was quiet, mulling over her words as she went, before speaking. "If anything, I feel that I have to say sorry too. I just heard those things and I felt so angry. I always had the feeling that Nick had a hard life, and I felt that you, someone who should empathise, had no right going behind and making it worse… I just don't want anyone judging him badly, not after what he's been through."

"I… I get that now," Skye said. "As I said back then, I was going off my own experiences. I just wanted to protect my new friends…"

…

"I forgive you."

"I forgive you too."

Judy nodded. "It'll be nice to have you as a friend, even if we got to a rough start. Then again, real life is messy."

"Tchhh, you can say that again."

Judy nodded, before pausing and thinking. "Say, how did the apology go? Do you even remember it?"

A little grin grew across Skye's muzzle. "What do you think we were just talking about, fox to fox?"

Judy smiled, walking up and hugging the swift fox. Skye hugged back, and they made their way down. Business done, Judy helped Skye back up the steps, slowly but surely.

"Hopefully the chocolates aren't cold right now," Judy said, smiling.

"We might find that it's _just_ right," Skye countered, as they walked back over.

Judy nodded. Just right. That's how everything felt. She had friends, things were peaceful, and she was smiling as she turned the corner. Everything was gonna be alright.

And then the smile vanished.

"-Listen!" Nick shouted into his phone, his fur on end and a scared, haggard look on his face. "I know him! He's good… -This… -He'd never…"

There was a pause as someone else spoke, and Judy couldn't help but notice the scared and confused looks on her friends around her. She looked back at Nick, suddenly scared for what this news might be.

"Okay…" he said quietly, before looking up. "We'll be there."

"Nick?"

"Some… -something's happened," he said, gulping. "We need to get to the station – _right now_."

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* * *

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**AN: I wrote this a long time ago, when I could innocently muse the topic of how native american civilizations comprised of multiple mammal species would be far less vulnerable to old world disease epidemics than in our world, and the implications thereof on the colonisation and history of the new world nations. As fate would have it, this chapter would be published many months later in the midst of a global viral epidemic… (Hashtag crazy coincidences.)**

**In this universe, the Incan empire survived in a reduced state, similar to Abyssinia/Ethiopia, Persia/Iran and Siam/Thailand. It being called the Reino del Sol and being ruled by The Supai Dynasty is a reference to 6wingdragon's Neverwere Moments series.**

**Alternate history itch-scratching aside, this fic was a joy to write and I hope it was a joy to read. I won't elaborate on the cliffhanger, other than to say that I'll be taking a short hiatus. I planned to get this chapter out before I started the ski holiday I would now be on, resuming when I got home. I might restart after a fortnight, or I might try to write ahead before resuming. The latest I'll restart will be May the 1st. Zoostars will carry on updating in that time.**

**The finale is going to be full length and… Something, to say the least… I've reached 14 chapters already and passed 77,000 words, and most is still left to come. See you then. Like, subscribe (if on A03 to the FFoZ series, not this individual fic/ episode. If of fanfic, subscribing to this fic (aka the whole series) is fine.) **

**Please review if you can, they are deeply appreciated and make my day.**

**Stay safe, stay awesome, see you all soon.**


	45. An Anonymous Vulpine 1

**AN: The A03 version of the fic includes an embedded artwork.**

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_'This is fine…'_

_._

…

_'This is fine…'_

_._

…

'_This is…'_

Ash paused, his head cocking slightly as he noticed a slight typo. It must have been a missed letter on his keyboard, hitting a k instead of an h. '_Ship, not skip', _he corrected, noting that it wasn't the worst slip up that he could make with that word. Regardless, he carried on with his last minute work, hoping to get a last read through done before he'd be drawn away from it.

He was in an English lesson, as he always was first thing on a Monday. They'd been practicing speeches and, over the weekend, all students had been tasked with making an educational speech on a particular topic, with a key theme being 'strange reasons for being.' The idea was to learn about the obscure and interesting reasons from the past behind something mundane and unassuming in the present; for instance, how their small size, limited strength and happiness to work in tight crowds led to lemmings being commonly employed in early stock exchanges, the 1929 Wolf Street Crash and resultant hysteria then spawning the stereotype of them jumping off of cliffs. Or, as a different example, how faulty tinned food resulted in the current desk in the Oval Office.

Marks were to be given for the speech's diligence, clarity, and the ability to engage the audience, creative presentation methods being encouraged. He'd got his done the night before, though he'd put proofing off until now. He figured that he could fit it in in between others speaking.

Finally done with his read through, he looked up as the teacher called out for a new student to present their work. An uinta chipmunk, brown furred with white and brown slashes of colour pulling down from his ears to his nose, stepped up. He got to the front, shuffled his notes, before reading off.

"My parents met due to and are both in politics, having both stood for the _ZGP, _the Zootopian Green Party. However, today, while my mother remains in it, my father is a member of the Green Party of Zootopia, our other green party. Our city and country is unique in having two of them, but why? Why does my uncle, every time he visits, asks if a guy over there is the Popular People's Green Party, and why don't my parents like him very much? The answer is simple. Plate tectonics."

He paused for effect, before carrying on. "Since before the time of the dinosaurs, the Farallon plate, a sub plate of the Pacific, has been diving under the North and South American ones. All that's left now, in our part of the world, is the Juan De Fuca plate and its northern and southern fragments, the Explorer and Gordo Plates. This birthed the Cascade mountains and volcanoes, while accreting islands onto North America. Most of these were small islands. Zootopia wasn't. Zootopia was a continental fragment that slammed into the plate and began buckling it. It buckled it so hard that a great fault was created, through our land, the coastal ranges and then into the American interior. Rivers ran through this, out to sea and through the Zootopian landmass, even as it stuck out into the ocean, or into an inland are called the Great Basin. Tens of millions of years passed, the land buckled and started pulling the fault apart and, with numerous ice ages passing, glaciers dug it down further. At the end of the last one, the meltwater flooded the Great Basin and overtopped the divide. This cut deeper, pulling more water out, and today the whole Great Basin, from the outflow of Lake Tahoe to the meltwater of Ewetah's mountains, drains into the Kula river, through the steep and straight canyon, and into the sea via Zootopia. There, on the awkward lump of land sticking out into the ocean, it tumbled down the Kula rapids, dropping over half a mile before ending."

He paused, cleared his throat, and carried on. "Mexicat claimed Califurnia, to the south of the river, and the States and British claimed Oregon to the north. Zootopia was claimed by all, set up as a protectorate of all as a compromise, and then chose to remain independent. That's when our story starts again. The Kula could give shipping access to the wild west, to the goldmines, to boomtowns like Salt Lick City, Reno and Mesa City, but the rapids blocked this. So, they diverted the river. A small dam at the head of the rapids diverted the river into a holding lake, penned in by Cliffside Dam. A set of giant lifts pulled boats into one corner of the lake, while turbines were installed underground. The river was so big, and the drop so high, that far more power could be generated than sold. So, the city used it, at first building the small climate zones, and then building the climate works to employ mammals during the depression. Despite the crazy energy use, we still had spare energy to sell. While Zootopia grew into a giant city and energy use jumped, the system efficiency improved meaning we never ran short. But the output was limited, and we could now sell that excess power across the western states if we wanted to."

He looked up, flicking his papers, before continuing. "Because hot air rises, the hot zones use far more energy than the cold, and with all the humidity needed and the fact you can't vary with the seasons, it's the rainforest that takes the lion's share. In the early sixties, city leaders planned to build nuclear reactors, not for electricity but pure heat. This would keep the districts warm, while we could sell the dams electricity to the states. To fund it, they planned to use fast reactors, which could break down long lasting waste and breed new fuel, both things that we could sell. However, because it absorbs too many neutrons, fast reactors can't have water in the cores, so most systems use molten sodium which causes all sorts of issues. Zootopia's scientists planned to build a helium cooled one, which solved many of them, given how carbon dioxide cooled reactors were a proven technology. Most of the systems would be the same as British and Furench designs but, with no graphite moderator in the core, it would be denser and cheaper. However, this was also why this technology was rarely pursued elsewhere. Liquid metal, water or graphite in the core adds thermal mass, giving more breathing time if there was a coolant loss. With just rods in the core, and planned super hot temperatures to generate electricity, these reactors could quickly melt down if there was a power loss. But, as we only needed to warm water, the reactors would work fine in Zootopia. They could be run cool enough to flood the core with water if there was a problem. A small test reactor ran successfully, and the commercial prototype was built and ready for loading, but by that point the Green Party had formed and wasn't happy. They protested and obstructed it, claiming we had enough power already, and with new uranium reserves being found and the cheaper cost of burying waste than reprocessing, the plant was never started. But then came the oil shocks and fuel crisis, and it was almost started again, hippy protestors stopping that by blocking fuel deliveries. After that, the plant was abandoned. Things would go on just as they had done, were it not for something big. Climate change."

"-_DUN-DUN-DUUUU…"_

All eyes turned to a student at the back, who shrunk a bit as the teacher gave him a warning glare. Ash looked at him, before glancing back at his friend Maisy. He hadn't had a chance to talk with her after the weekend. He quickly looked away, his eyes briefly meeting those of Beavis, the chipmunk smirking, before he turned forward once more.

"Thanks to the climate works, Zootopia has by far the world's highest energy use per capita, but coming from the dam means it's also one of the cleanest. However, many mammals began to feel that the system was too wasteful. In the mid-eighties, a plan was proposed to cap all the climate districts with greenhouses, slashing energy use. Mammals hated it. As times have gone past, the technology has improved. The greenhouses would be better insulated, more open and cheaper, and would actually stop rain in Sahara square, unlike today. By selling the electricity to the US, it'd pay for itself and then make us the world's richest country by far, while supplying ten percent of their power. To many green supporters, it made perfect sense. Others felt it ruined something core to our identity, or was done out of greed, or would never be popular, something proven by polls. Some even think we should scrap the wall, sell the power, and invest the earnings in more green energy. Ultimately, the 'climate cappers', including my father, split to form the Green Party of Zootopia, all because of plate tectonics."

He breathed a sigh of relief, bowing a little as the class clapped out. A few questions were asked, a few things discussed, before it was the turn of the next student.

Kris's turn came next. Ash watched as he walked up to the front, cleared his throat and began speaking. "Antivulpinism: defined as a bias or hatred towards mammals of the genus _Vulpes_, alongside _Urocyon, Otocyon, Cerocyon_ and _Lycalopex_, most commonly due to a perceived dishonesty, shiftiness, and untrustworthiness. As you all know, I recently emigrated to this city from my home in Canidea, more specifically Prince Edward Island. For those who don't know, it's my country's smallest province, about the size of the country of Zootopia, and one in five mammals is a fox. Half of those are silver foxes, many descended from the Raurfpeltz family and their followers. -It's also worth pointing out that I'm technically a platinum fox, not a true silver fox, despite my name. Most silver foxes are black furred with silver strands, like my grandfather was, but thanks to a dominant gene my father and I have this colouration."

"In any case, the Raurfpeltz were a Germanic dynasty who lost their lands in the Seven Years War but, thanks to their connection to King George III, received large portions of land on the newly acquired island. Both there, and across much of the world, antivulpinism isn't much of a feature of our lives. In Europe, Canidea and to a much lesser extent the States, foxes are commonly respected; many become cops, a vixen even being the Chief Inspector at Interpol, a stark contrast to Zootopia which only employed its first fox cop a few years ago, its second very recently and has its first vixen still in the academy. But why is this the case? Why is Zootopia 'noted' for its supposed antivulpanism? And, at the end of the day, is it a fair criticism? To answer that, we need to go back to the root of this problem… Earth's magnetic field."

Ash nodded at the back. He knew where this was going.

Sort of.

He was missing the middle bit, so he guessed it would be interesting. He settled down to listen in, only for the class to be broken off by a knocking at the door. Everyone turned to face it, the door unlocking and one of the senior teachers, a boar, leaning in. "Apologies," he said, glancing around. Ash could swear that he looked into his eyes, before facing the teacher at the front. "Just checking something."

There was an odd silence as he left the room, whispers bandying around, before the teacher silenced them with a solid _Ahem._ He looked over at Kris, then gave him a nod to carry on.

"-While many species have a rough ability to sense the earth's magnetic field, often without knowing it, red and arctic foxes have a unique ability, we can visually see the field. This manifests as a shadowy mark in our vision, likely evolved to assist with pouncing at buried prey. The theory is that by lining up this mark with the sounds of buried prey, we could more accurately dive onto them. Come the great uplifting and the stone age, this was no longer required, likely for millennia. As civilization progressed though, two unique uses became clear. Firstly, the ability drew red foxes to large iron deposits, helping to kick start the iron age. The second was its use as a compass, allowing early ships to go far further from the shore. In time, this led to old world red foxes becoming some of the richest mammals in the societal hierarchy. We controlled the iron, and soon all trading ships worth their salt had a fox navigator on board. The advantage only increased when it was realised that the angle of the mark against the earth could be used to roughly measure latitude, while, by observing the deviation from true north, as marked by Polaris, longitude could also be estimated. Old world trade was built upon foxes, and it built them too. Being an insular species, they invested the proceeds inwards, becoming a key part of the merchant classes, hawking, bargaining and forever penny pinching. In a world where the larger the mammal the richer, with Europe more often than not ruled by large carnivores, foxes made it up there. To this day, they're viewed as a 'higher' species there, yet why not here?"

Ash looked on, before pausing as he noticed something at the door. It was that teacher again, looking in. Their eyes met and he left, the fox left tilting his head.

"The Reformation of the church, as led by Martin Loomer, was a strike against everything he saw wrong with it and Rome. He resented the richer predators and their splendour, claiming how easy it was to pray and donate their way to salvation. He resented the corruption he saw everywhere, and he resented the tarnishing of what he thought was the heart of his religion, a simple and industrious life. Connected to the land, he idealised hard working flock and herd species and was disparaging towards predators, one type in particular. His writings mark him out as a noted antivulpite, claiming that 'you should trust no fox on his green heath'. He saw their abilities as trickery, a lazy way to make illicit gains off of common mammals, all while hoarding and profiteering from luxuries. When Loomerism was more widely adopted, the hard realities meant that the adopting ruling classes dropped many of these sentiments, especially in Britain due to the critical role of foxes in their merchant fleets and navy. Still, significant numbers of lower-class prey mammals harboured a resentment towards successful foxes, the exact kind of prey mammal that would jump at a chance to have a new life in the new world. Many communities left together, stayed together, and then grew together in their new home, their prejudices still held. This explains why many rural towns in the States can hold severe prejudices against foxes, or for that matter any species."

There was a pause as he cleared his throat. "In addition, most of the rich merchant foxes who initially settled in the thirteen colonies famously sided with the British during the Revolutionary War, a skulk almost killing Paul Revere during his famous gallop. In return, many were lynched, having their whole families tarred and feathered or their tails shaved before being run out of town." There was a pause, his ears lowering against the back of his head. "The latter is considered the ultimate degradation among many canines, foxes especially. These refugee loyalists then settled in Canidea's maritime provinces, including the Island, and the memory of those events lives on. Ironically, for the same reason that many in the States call foxes untrustworthy, in Canidea they are considered loyal. But still, fox cops have long existed in the States, so what makes Zootopia so different?"

That was what Ash was really interested in, or at least would be. However, the fur on the back of his head was beginning to stand up on end, a feeling in him that something was wrong. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

"Set up as an independent city state, a compromise between the British, American and Mexicat interests in the Pacific coast, it attracted a large number of followers of the _'Omnibus Locis_' society. Both an evolution of very traditional the Loomerist church, similar to and inspired by the founding and independence of the Church of Latter Day Saints, and a highly popular intellectual movement, they believed that a true society was made up of mammals in their god-given places. Elephants were built the strongest, so would haul; beavers were industrious, and they would build; rabbits were small and scared, so they would be kept from danger to farm in peace. Many city founders belonged to it, the city constitution and laws inspired by it, and its promise that 'your species has a true place' attracted numerous mammals from both the States and Europe, especially the kind that was at the bottom of the pecking order and still held strong antivulpine views. They flocked to the city, while those foxes that came tended to be the poorest and least respected. After all, why would a rich fox leave Europe or Canidea? Judged as too small to be protectors, and with better technology now available for ship navigation, they were just normal mammals in a city with a general population that distrusted them."

That made sense, Ash noted, only for his ears to flick up. Everyones did, and they turned to see a police cruiser, lights flashing, pull into the car park below. A second followed, and then a third. The teacher stood up and walked over, peering out nervously before turning back to Kris. "Carry on," he said, only for his students to continue whispering to each other. "Quiet, now!"

They hushed and Kris continued. "The 'every mammal has his place' ideology has long since vanished, replaced with the more optimistic 'where anyone can be anything.' However, it is undoubted that reality takes longer to change. While most areas put in place performance standards for certain professions, like a fitness and strength test for police officers of certain size classes, Zootopia long favoured hard physical limits. At first this was species based, something ruled unconstitutional in the sixties by the 'Itsappe case', where a very large coyote was barred from the fire service due to his species, even though smaller wolves could apply. Since then, a police officer had to be a certain size and weight, regardless of their later performance. This was only revoked by the Mammal Inclusion Initiative, designed to pull the city in line with its neighbours."

"But what about antivulpanism? As a foreign fox, I'd heard some stories, but found most mammals open and nice." There was then a pause, his ears going down. "But the first time I met a mammal who spit out my species name as an insult, it was decidedly extremely hurtful. I've encountered a few since then, they still hurt and I don't like it. Sometimes it gets easy to wonder, is that mammal looking at you that way as you're a fox? Is that mammal nudging away from you for a reason? In a way, these thoughts and doubts can be far worse than the abuse when it comes. However, I chose to let it go, leaving the hate with those that do. In researching this subject, I found some interesting statistics. In studies to gauge perceptions of different species, mistrust of foxes followed a Pareto distribution, a small minority creating the vast majority of hate. It's undoubted that there is an average level of mistrust, and that certainly has a negative effect, but so do other things. Certain names, body modifications such as facial piercings, and so on can also have an equivalent or greater effect. I'm not saying that this is right; I'm saying that life is messy and complicated. But, going forwards, I can look at this city, my new home, and be confident that I can really be anything."

He finished off to a slightly subdued round of applause, a nervous energy filling the air. The teacher seemed to feel it too, clearing his throat before gesturing around. "Any questions?"

There was an odd silence, suddenly filled by the sound of heavy feet marching down the corridor outside of the room. Almost everyone seemed to sink a little in their seats, looking around in worry. Ash was one of them, slowly beginning to massage his sweat bands before closing his eyes and practicing a breathing exercise. What was happening? What was going on? He just hoped that this would be all over, go back to being an ordinary day, but it wasn't happening. He'd even be relieved if Beavis chose to ask some dumb question making fun of foxes, or even just himself, but the dreadful tension filling the air seemed to be getting to him too. He was absolutely silent.

His chair jolted a little as Kris sat down next to him, his paw hovering over his, offering support. Ash shook his head. He could get through this, whatever it was, by himself. He could. He could… The teacher looked down at him, as if wondering whether to call him up to speak, before shaking it off. He went back to the front of the room and looked out at his class. "I will confess, I don't know what's going on," he said. "I can understand you being worried though, so I'll go out and check. You can talk quietly among yourselves."

He left the room, those inside taking far longer to start talking again, and doing so with far less enthusiasm than their age and place would ever lead to be expected.

Ash breathed in, before looking over at Kris. "Nice speech."

"Thanks."

"Worried?"

"A little nervous."

"That bad?"

"I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "I've never had anything like this. I fear someone might have died, or…"

"-Then where's the ambulance?" a classmate in front of them asked. "Maybe they found a gun!"

"This isn't that States," another mammal countered.

"They could still get one."

The chatter was broken off by a sudden squeal of a chair on floor, all eyes turning to one of the girls. She'd pushed her chair back and begun slipping forwards, ready to duck and cover in a second's notice.

The room was filled by the ticking of the clock, the second hand's dull _thwacks_ ringing out every felt-like-far-more-than-a-second, before the door clicked open. The teacher walked in, a stern looking tiger cop at his side. He looked forward, and Ash felt a shiver of primordial fear run through him as their eyes met, his burning into him for a second or two.

The tiger cut away, looking at the teacher. "Is that…?"

"-This is uncalled for," the teacher interrupted. He glanced to the side, Ash could almost swear it was over at them, before looking back at the tiger. "We can handle this far more discreetly, we can…"

"Or maybe these students need a lesson," the tiger almost growled out. "I think they could do with a visual demonstration."

"Listen…"

"No, you listen," the tiger shot back, Ash noticing his taser for the first time. He gulped, trying to find something else to look at but only managing to fix his eyes on the metal muzzle on his belt. He squirmed a bit in his seat, his ears going back. That _really _wasn't what he needed right now. "I'm the cop here, and I have authority. I'm sure all your students would want to learn about what's been worrying them."

…

"You know what," Beavis said, standing up. "I'm going to trust a cop on this one."

"Clever kit," the officer said, before waving around. "Come on!"

The clatter of chairs being pushed back rang out and, as their teacher looked on in defeat, the tiger waved them out. "Turn left, wait at the start of the lockers."

Trembling slightly, Ash joined them, unable to not notice the tiger fall in by his left, his teacher following right behind. Kris was by his side, offering a paw, but despite his trembles Ash refused. He rubbed his sweatbands as they carried on forwards, boxed in, marching towards the unknown.

They all froze, assembling in a line in front of a wall of lockers. The wall of lockers that he and Kris used. The boar teacher was there, alongside a bunch of cops, and Ash gulped as he realised that they were assembled around their lockers. His locker. There even seemed to be slight claw marks on its dark blue door, as if something had tried to claw at it to get at the heaped pile of snacks kept inside.

"Can we now?"

"Not… Not yet," the boar teacher replied.

"Listen, once we open it, I'm pretty sure we can find out..."

"-We already know," a different officer, a sniffer wolf, said.

"Not that," the tiger hissed, only to be cut off by the sound of hooves on the floor. Ash looked up, spotting the headmistress and her secretary coming up with another officer, the secretary holding a sheet of paper. The head looked up, before snapping towards the tiger cop. "Why are they here?"

"They should all see…"

"Don't be ridiculous! It's humiliating, degrading, what if you're wrong…"

"That's why you brought this," he said, grabbing the papers from the secretary. He scanned through, before nodding his head. "Tchhh, so be it." He then turned, waving over one of the school caretakers, a key in his paws. It went into a lock, turned, and, with a slam, the door was pulled open, everyone stepping back in horror.

There were gasps, shrieks of fears, cries and exclamations of confusion, and even the dull thud of a mammal fainting.

Ash just looked forwards in terror and shock at the items inside, resting on top of the neat stack of books. A foursome of small, round, shiny purple orbs.

Nighthowler pellets…

"But… but… but…" Ash gasped, looking on in shock. No. How. How did they get there? How, how on earth in that place. This… This was a dream, right? It had to be a bad dream!

The tiger looked forwards, his eyes bearing right at him, and a paw came out, a pair of pawcuffs held tight. Flicking his fingers, he opened it up, the metal ready to clamp down on its prey like the jaws of a waiting alligator.

Ash shot his paw out and held Kris' as the tiger loomed up, above them, anger in his eyes.

...

"Kristofferson Silverfox?"

Ash glanced to his side, finally able to look at the owner of the locker in the face; his cousin looked confused, but with a growing fear running through him.

He nodded his head a few times, as the tiger leant down and grabbed his left paw and tore it out of Ash's own, turning his cousin around on the spot. "You are hereby under arrest for possession of an illegal and dangerous substance, you have the right to remain silent…"

He did, but the rest of the crowd didn't. Friends were screaming about how he'd never be involved in that stuff, how he'd only just emigrated, how something must be wrong; others were screaming out 'oh my god's', unable to believe their eyes; some even started hurling abuse at the Kris, demanding to know why he had the most feared things in Zootopia in his locker, and whether he planned to use it like a school shooter. Others just cried, Agnes and Maisy in tears and almost coming together, only for the sheep to push the vixen away in a swell of fearful emotions. She stumbled next to Beavis, who stopped stammering about it being in Kris' locker and edged away from her. The teachers called out, telling the students to move back, to keep quiet, or lambasting the cops for all of this. Ash just looked on, trembling as he did so, as the tiger locked the cuffs around Kris' paws, reciting his rights as he did so.

"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. As a youth, any interrogations will be conducted with an attorney and legal guardian present."

The silver fox's head darted around, glancing back before locking with Ash's for a second.

"If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you at government expense. Do you understand?"

His younger cousin looked at him, his mouth slightly parted as he took deeper breaths.

"Do you understand?"

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath in, relaxing himself. He looked at his older cousin and managed a little smile. "D-don't worry. There's probably a good explanation, I'll be fine."

"I repeat, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Kris replied, glancing behind him. He closed his eyes, breathing in and out, managing a calm expression on his face even as a massive paw slammed on his shoulder. The other on his cuffs, the tiger began marching him forwards, speaking as he went.

"Any biting or related threats will result in the use of a muzzle…" The crowd began surging forwards, the other cops darting out in front of them and blocking their way. "-Any attempts at escape will authorise the use of force…"

Pushing to the front, Ash saw him led on and started to run towards him, shouting as he went, only for the wolf officer to tackle him to the floor. "Kris!"

"-You will be taken to Precinct One immediately where contact will be made with your guardians..."

"KRIS!"

Ash's throat tingled from the scream and, looking up, he saw his cousin's eyes meeting his one last time as he was pushed around a corner and out of view. He pushed up, trying to charge forwards, only for the wolf office to hold on tight.

"Down boy! DOWN!"

He felt his drive fade slightly, still strong but not enough to push against the larger canine holding him in place. The teachers were ordering the class back into their room, waving them along, and when a hoof touched his Ash silently followed.

He looked up to see the headmistress, her expression wavering, pulling him along. The wolf cop tracked behind, and they turned away from the rest of the class before exiting the block. A wave of horror filled the red fox. "N-n-no, I don't know where those came from! He doesn't either! Kris didn't…"

He broke off as the headmistress stopped, kneeling down to pull an arm around him. "You're not in trouble," she said, before standing up again. "We're going to my office to tell your parents. You're dismissed from school today. Given the actions of some mammals, I might offer it to the entire class."

Ash carried on walking, breathing in a bit before nodding. "R-r-right…" he managed, as the wolf cop spoke up.

"I didn't expect Jones to make an example out of him either."

She glanced back at him, a venomous look in her eyes. "According to your partner…"

"-That is police business ma'am."

She paused, glancing down at Ash. "He has a right…"

"-Not now," he said, looming up next to her. "If you want what's best for your students, do not interfere with our investigation, understand?"

She paused, looking down at Ash as if she wanted to say sorry, before looking back at him. "Okay then," she said. "Not that I'll like it."

The rest of the walk was done in silence, the trio entering their office and Ash being offered a seat. He sat down, paws clasping as he stared at the floor, frozen in shock.

He didn't even hear the headmistress call his parents, only hearing her telling him that she had.

He glanced up at her, nodded, and looked back down.

.

.

…

"Ash?"

…

"Ash?"

"-Y-yes ma'am…"

"You don't need to call me that," she said, and he looked up to see that she'd pulled up a chair next to his, placing one of her hooves on his paw.

"I… I think it makes it… -I think it feels more normal, when I do, I…"

"You do that, then," she said, an odd silence filling the air.

.

.

…

"When I was a new teacher," she began, speaking out into the air. "I remember this one time having to tell the news that a member of faculty had died over the weekend to my form. Now, in this class, there was this boy… Jason Yakhmi… -Afghan descent, he always joked about it for 'sympathy'. He was the class clown, and always got into the most trouble with this teacher, and I don't know whether he hated him or enjoyed winding him up, or whatever, but it earned lots of complaints. And… and he was the one who asked if something was up, and I told him the news, and I'll never forget how his face changed in that moment. I didn't have him for the next lesson, but I had him for history after, and he still had that dead look on his face. Others said he'd just been at the back and quiet through the last lesson, so I told him he could go to the nurses office. I didn't see him again until near the end of lunch. I was walking down a side of the building and I heard some loud banging, and I looked into a tight alley to see him rutting and charging his horns against the wall. The dam had burst, you see, so I made myself known, and he asked to be left alone. I said I'd wait outside, and five minutes later he stopped. We walked back in silence, and when entering our room he thanked me…"

.

…

"You're in shock, Ash. I can't blame you. It'll take some time to come out or calm down and, whichever way it does for you, that's not a wrong way. Until your parents arrive, I'll be here for you. For whatever you need me for."

.

…

_Sniff._

_Sniff-sniff…_

_._

They weren't his first. Not by a long shot. She brought him a packet of tissues that he could use to dab his eyes with.

"You feeling okay?"

"N-no…" He muttered, his eyes rapidly misting up again. He chuckled, shrugging a bit. "I mean, why would I, huh? I… My cousin just got caught with bioweapons in his locker, I… Well, that isn't normal. He didn't put them there, did he? So, where did they come from! Where did they come from, huh? I… I… I don't know if more might appear, and I don't know what's going to happen next, and I feel like it was meant to be me and I don't know why and I'm scared! I'm cussing scared!" He sniffed and whimpered, brushing away a few more of his tears before inwardly wincing.

"It wasn't your fault, Ash."

Then why did he feel guilty? Why did he? Why did he feel that he deserved something bad? He was scared, scared for Kris, scared they'd come for him, but that wasn't the right punishment. He felt like there was just one type of pain he deserved, and his jaws and wrists began trembling as he imagined it.

Just a bite down…

Just a bite he deserved, that he…

He slammed his eyes shut and dug his claws into the furniture, clenching his jaw tight as he did so.

"Ash?"

"I'm not going to," he told himself, sniffing.

"Not going to?"

"Hurt myself again… Not again," he sniffed, looking at her. He looked down at his wrists, the sweat bands, and grit his teeth as he slipped one off. "D-Don't let me do it again. M-muzzle me if I'm going to…"

He was cut off as she hugged him tightly with her arms. "I won't let you. You're going to be fine."

He sniffed. "Then why do I feel so guilty? I… I didn't do anything but I feel like I did?"

There was a pause, and she looked at him with a terribly pained expression of sadness and guilt on her face. She looked up to where the officer, standing silently through all of this, was before looking back. "Survivors guilt," she said. "It's tough, but you'll get through it. Your cousin will be fine too, I'm sure of it. I don't think that he was capable of handling or using those for a second."

Neither was Ash. It didn't change the facts though, it was his locker where the terrible monster of Zootopia had been found.

He sniffed some more and looked forwards, before closing his eyes, pushing through with as many of Kris' meditation exercises as he could remember.

By the end he still felt depressed, but coping.

A knock on the door, and he looked back to see his parents enter. He ran straight to his mother, minding her pronounced bump and gripping her tight. She gripped back, as did his father and, standing up, he managed to turn back to the head and thank her.

"You're welcome," she said, before doing so again as his parents thanked her. They looked at her, before Mr Fox spoke.

"We'll be going to Precinct One. We have friends who are already on their way, while Kris' father will be there too."

"Good luck," she said.

They nodded and Ash, gripping his father's paw tight, followed them out.

.

* * *

.

**AN: And I'm back. As said ages ago, when planning this saga's plot I reinterpreted various events that took place in the Fantastic Mr Fox film, starting off with Felicity's pregnancy. Now, remember how the final act of the movie was the whole gang banding together to rescue Kris?**

**This fic is going to be big, and everything we've covered before (and a good chunk more) will all be coming together. Now, a good few commentators believed that the fic would involve Fenneko and Finnick (Finneko). I like your logic, and those comments make me glad that I didn't have Nick saying that 'he knew that kit' specifically. Regardless, we will be seeing a fair bit of Finneko action coming up, as they and plenty others band together to rescue a certain mammal.**

**Thanks to francesca ictbs for the artwork on A03.**


	46. An Anonymous Vulpine 2

**Chapter 2**

.

.

"What do you mean they found nighthowlers in Kris' locker?!"

Nick sighed, glancing over at Judy. "They found pellets, the real non-blueberry nasties, in his locker, Carrots."

"But he…"

"-Is an intelligent, well adjusted, nigh on pacifistic fox who we all love and would never be involved in that stuff in a million years," he interrupted, slouching down and cradling his head with a paw. He shook it a few times before sighing. "Oddly enough, I'm just as confused as you are."

Judy furrowed her brow, about to shoot back a response, only to check herself instead. Closing her eyes, clenching a paw, her foot drummed furiously against the train floor as if she wished to wear through it.

"I'm guessing," Jack said slowly, "that you think someone else put them there. Right?"

"Yes!" The two cops said at once, turning to face him.

"What if someone didn't?" came another voice, a quiet voice. Nick and Judy turned to its source, a meek looking red panda. Retsuko shrugged. "I'm just saying, what if…?"

"-He wouldn't have," Judy cut in, walking up to her. "We know him. He's kind, intelligent, charming…"

"Wasn't Bellwether that?"

Judy froze, closing her eyes and turning away. "No. It's not like that."

"What if it is?"

"It… it can't, it…" she began, stuttering a few times. She looked into Retsuko's eyes, biting her bottom lip with her buck teeth, before turning on the spot and marching into Nick. He hugged her tightly by reflex as she began sniffing.

"Carrots?"

She mumbled slightly, his ears peeling.

"Fluff?"

She mumbled a few more times, Nick only making out the word _'please…'_

"Judy?"

_"Please not again…" _she whispered, pulling in another sniff.

"Again?"

"I… I don't want to be tricked again…"

.

.

…

"No…"

"Nick?"

"Carrots, Kris would have nothing to do with this."

"But she's…"

"Retsuko doesn't know him. We do."

"I knew Bellwether…"

"No, Carrots."

"But it's true," she sniffed. "I want him to be innocent. I think he is! But what if I'm wrong? It wouldn't be the first time!"

"Judy," he barked out, grabbing her shoulders and rooting her in place. "How well did you know her, huh? When?"

"My.. my graduation," she sniffed, still emotional. "Then three short meetings."

"So, what, not enough lines from her to count on your paws? And what do you and Kris have? The day he got his father back, our little meetups with the family, the baby shower! In just one of those, you probably talked to him more than you ever did to Smellwether. So, you know him, I know him, and if you believe that he didn't do it, I'm going to guess that you're right and he didn't."

…

She sniffed a few times more, before bottling it up and wiping away her tears. "I'm sorry, I…"

"-I know."

"I just don't want to make the same mistakes all over again."

Nick nodded, and he held her paw as she composed herself. "How about we get some Judy-on-duty, thinking this through, huh?"

She paused and nodded, turning back to Retsuko. "Okay. Understandable idea. However, from character studies, it's unlikely. For a start, what would the motive be?"

There was a quiet pause, before Haida, who'd been sitting behind Retsuko, put his paw up. "What about the obvious ones? Money, revenge, some political cause?"

"His father is a well respected academic and they're both well off" Nick countered. "As for revenge, he's a calm and patient mammal who teaches others meditation. He has a girlfriend, and being a recent immigrant, it's not like he has any beef..."

"-Language, Nick," Judy warned.

"Right," he noted, rolling his eyes. "It's not like he had any peas and turnips with Zootopian society."

"Recent immigrant?" Haida asked, his head cocking a little.

"From Canidea," Nick brushed off.

Haida's eyes went wide. "Prince Edward Island?"

"Yes, he…"

"-His father had an ice fishing accident, didn't he?"

There was a long pause as all the mammals turned to face him. "How did you…" Skye began.

"I met him on a bus, the day the howler warning came out," Haida stated, energy coursing through him. "Kristofferson Silverfox, remember Fenneko doing her thing?"

Retsuko's eyes widened. "Yes, I do now."

"Right. And, pinch of salt from an ex-Smellwether voter here, I don't see him messing with that stuff on purpose."

"What about fame?" Jack asked, gathering the crowd's attention. "Or infamy! The same destructive desires that drive those school shooters in the States. A dark, inwardly twisted ideology, fuelled by a nihilistic core, seeking to find release in carnage and immortality through fame…"

…

"Okay, those blank stares say no. Just an idea." He paused, looking up at Skye. "What do you think?"

She just shrugged, her paws coming out as she signalled that she didn't have the slightest idea. "All I know is that his Aunt's side of the family will be messed up. I'll be there for them, whether I'm actually good at it or not."

"Right then," Jack noted, looking forward. "SavageSkye out."

Nick nodded, glancing at the map on the train. "Next stop," he noted, before looking at Haida and Retsuko. "You two don't need to come, you know?"

Haida shook his head. "I'll be there. They're going through a lot, and if they need me…"

Retsuko nodded along too. "I was thinking that it would be interfering a bit, but Haida's right. A colleague at work was falsely accused of something a while back and it was hard, so if we can give some help here, why not? Anyway, what if you need support?"

Judy looked up and smiled. "Thanks, it's appreciated."

She nodded as the entire gang got up. Getting off at the next station, Savannah Central, they slipped past the queue for the stairs and entered a lift, given Skye's leg. Up, out, and into the light of watering hole plaza. Everything seemed both busy and peaceful, in a way that a normally operating city would be. Judy kept her eyes peeled, as if expecting a cop car, the fox family, or even some protestors. She was wound up tight, which only relaxed when she stepped through the doors of Precinct One.

"Oh Em Goodness…"

"Hey, Spots," Nick began, rushing forwards.

"Look at you and your little posse… Now, I'm excluding Judy from this, as I know you can't…"

"Ben…"

"-Call a bunny cute, but you have the _ke-yootest liddle_ pack of friends I've ever seen. What are you all doing here today?"

"Did a family of foxes arrive recently?" he asked. "Three of them. Teen son and pregnant wife?"

"Oh, those guys," he said, nodding. "They came in earlier and asked to see their cousin who was taken in. They seemed pretty upset."

"Yeah," Nick sighed. "So are we. Where are they?"

"I let them into one of the private rooms, first on the left," he said.

"And the cousin. Kris Silverfox?"

"I don't know," he said, both Nick and Judy's eyes widened in alarm. "But we did have an 'anonymous vulpine' brought in earlier and put into an isolation cell."

Judy slapped her forehead. "Of course, youth protection… -Yes, that's him, thanks Ben!"

She raced off, Nick pausing to look at him. "If an older silver fox arrives, send him our way too." Ben nodded, before Nick followed on, Jack, Skye and Retsuko tagging along after. Clawhauser smiled especially at the adorable little red panda, his eyes then flicking up to the final member of the group, widening as he did so. "Oh Em Goodness!"

"Huh…"

"You look just like my nieces favourite stuffed toy!"

He groaned.

"-I mean it's such a coincidence."

"Actually…"

"Look, here on my phone. Just past all these pictures of Gazelle, musical genius and angel with horns. Look, there, you look just the same."

"Yes…" he grunted, checking the time and finding it far too early for alcohol.

"I mean, it must be amazing. I think I'd also make a cute plushie, you could have a donut stuck in my folds instead of your cute teefies…"

"Uh-hu…"

"I mean, what must it be like to have such an honour?"

"Exasperating."

.

.

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang made their way to the rooms. The goings on during cases could often result in grieving families, both of the victims and the perps, alive and dead. As a result, there were a set of private rooms off in one area of the Precinct for this purpose. After all, if a kit had just lost his parents and needed to be kept somewhere safe, the last thing anyone wished to do was put him in a police cell.

As a result, the rooms had comfy furniture, bold colours, selections of children's toys and a TV and, in all of that, Nick and Judy found the fox family, huddling up on one sofa, silent in their grief.

Ash looked up, his eyes red. "You came?"

"Yeah, Mr," Nick said, before making a spitting noise. "Of course we came. How're you holding up?"

"I…" he began to say, before huffing. "Rough."

"He saw it," Mr Fox said, looking up. "The arresting officer brought everyone out to watch the lockers being opened and then dragged Kris off, right in front of Ash. He probably thought that it might be him that they were going after."

"I… I did," he said, setting off a round of sniffing from his mother. She held him closer, grabbing him and holding him tight.

"D-don't worry," she told him. "Everything is going to be okay. I…" she sniffed again. "This might all be a bad dream."

She was cut off as Haida entered, their eyes meeting for a second.

"Oh thank god, it is a dream."

"Uuuuhhh?"

She chuckled. "A horrible dream where my nephew is arrested and my new kit's plushy comes to life."

"Oh-for-goodness," he began, before looking up. "Miss Hopps, you still have that famous carrot pen on you, right?"

"Yes," she said, picking it off of her belt. "Why?"

"Just want to borrow it for a second," he said, before turning to Mrs Fox, just as Catano entered the room, pausing as she spotted Haida and Retsuko.

"Oh, hello again."

The pair waved, as Retsuko turned to a confused Judy. "She came into our office one time and we talked a bit."

"Indeed I did," Catano said, before turning to her colleagues. "Ben told me you were here. Nick, Judy, quick walk and talk."

They nodded and slipped out, though it quickly turned into more of a jog and talk as Catano speed-walked out into the back of the Precinct. "We found the howlers all right, someone dropped a tip, and it led us to that courier."

"He's not involved," Nick said.

"Huh?"

"Listen, I know this kit. He's nice, kind, thoughtful, intelligent. I know him well, so does Judy. Unless it was completely unwittingly, he'd never get involved."

Turning a corner, they paused as they reached Bogo, the buffalo waiting in the observation room of one of the interrogation cells. Both Nick and Judy looked in and sighed with relief. There he was, sitting on a chair in a lotus position, calmly meditating.

Catano was silent for a second or two before looking back. "He certainly seems different to what I'd expect. The only suspects I've seen act like that are those breaking the law for 'religious' purposes. Usually spiritualists caught with certain drugs, and more recently some of those climate protesters. He seems at peace with himself, despite the trouble he's in."

"He's a very well adjusted mammal," Judy said, paws on her hips as she glared back at Catano. "He's doing it to keep calm, given that he just found nighthowlers in his locker and was dragged away."

Catano nodded. "So, is he a relative of Nick's?"

…

"Sort of," Nick confessed, turning to Bogo. "Remember that teen kit I saved a while back, you let me attend his therapy sessions later on."

The chief nodded.

"That's his cousin. I met him on that night, and we're friends with both their families." He paused, before looking up. "I'm going to be his new cousin's godfather…"

Bogo nodded. "Fair enough. But you do understand that this personal connection means that you're off the case. At least as long as he's a suspect."

Nick sighed, nodding his head. "Yes sir."

"Okay," Catano sighed. "If you know him that well, you can still help. What do you think of this case?"

"It has to be a plant," Judy stated.

"Why?"

"Because we can think of no reason for him to be involved," she said. "He's happy, well off, intelligent, kind, thoughtful, he…" She broke off, sniffing. "Yesterday he tried to teach me meditation."

"He hasn't even been in the city that long, little more than a year at most," Nick added. "He emigrated here so his Aunt and Uncle could look after him while his father was sick. His father then moved over too. That means no time to get to know the underworld, the recruiters, to get locked into the systems that were at play. He was too busy doing schoolwork and sports!"

Catano paused, nodding her head. "I'll keep that in mind. In any case, Oates and I will be interviewing him once his father arrives. Thanks for the help though," she said. "And I'm sorry."

The pair nodded, before making their way back to the other room. They entered to see Skye talking to Mrs Fox, the pair holding paws. The pregnant vixen looked up at them, her paws moving over her heart. "What's going on?"

"He's being held in an interrogation cell until his father arrives," Judy said.

"You saw him?"

"Yeah, and he seems fine. He was meditating to pass the time."

She nodded, taking in a calming breath. "Good, I… -He's like a son to me. As long as he's okay."

"What next though?" Mr Fox asked.

"They'll be interviewing him," she explained. "What happens next, I don't know, but Zootopia has very good youth justice laws. If they think he was suspicious, the worst that might happen is that he has to wear a tracker while things go forward."

"Did you put in a good word?" He asked.

"Lots, but they also know our relationship to your family."

"Which means?" Ash asked.

"We're off the case, conflicts of interest and such," Nick explained. "Though it seems that Catano will be handling it from now on. She's a good officer."

"As two non-biased mammals, we can agree with that," Haida piped up, gesturing at himself and Retsuko. "She was very committed the one time we met her."

Judy nodded. "And, once our two best detectives get back from their foreign investigation, I'm sure they'll get to the root of this before you can say…"

"-Where's my boy!?"

Everyone turned to face the door, ears and tails dropping as they saw Dr Silverfox standing there.

He looked terrible. His jaw hung down and quivered, lines of worry were etched across his face while his paws shook as if he was shivering. It all added up, crowned by his fearful eyes, and magnifying the frailty that his illness had left him with vastly. He looked old, weak and scared, and the room felt colder in his presence.

"Will…" Felicity said.

He sniffed once and then twice. "Is he okay? Is he…"

His sister in law struggled to stand up given her current state. Instead it was Judy that rushed up to him. "He's in a cell, meditating to pass the time," she said.

"Where? I need to see him, I need to see him."

Judy kept her face level and professional, nodding. "I'll take you to the place," she said.

His voice was silent, hanging there for a second or two, before he nodded. "Thank you."

She led him on, reassuring him as he went. "I'm sorry. But it's going to be alright, I promise."

.

.

.

_**One Year before…**_

.

"_Hey…_"

.

"_Hey, kit. You can take that sign off of you, you know?"_

_._

Kris paused, thinking for a second or two before shaking his head, the unaccompanied minor sign beneath him jiggling left and right as he did so. "Thanks, but I'm good."

The beaver across from him, dressed in an Air Canidea uniform, nodded, pausing as he spotted the waitress come across. "Ah, there's the good stuff," he said as a tree-bark poutine was placed in front of him. "Well, good for airport food at least. -Though it is a Hoofer Hut after all."

"I've never actually been to a Hoofer Hut," Kris noted, as his food arrived too.

"Wait, aren't there any on the island? I mean, I know it's really tiny, my Ma comes from Kingston and they've got about the same pop as your entire province, but I'd still expect there to be a Hoofer Hut or two."

"They do," Kris said. "My father just never took me into one. The closest we got to that kind of place was on friends' birthdays."

"Hmmm, the more you know," the staff member muttered, looking on as Kris tucked in. The silverfox leant down with his fork and spoon, twirling up a helping of his smokey grub pasta before taking a bite.

"So, how's the first time?"

Kris gave a reasonable nod. "It's good."

"Ha. A lot better than what you might get on that plane of yours, though it seems you took the right option on getting a late nighter. Try and snooze on the way. It gets in at ten in the evening local time, but that'll be about one in the morning here in Otterpaw."

Kris nodded. "Though it'll actually be two for me. Maritime time zone."

"Ah, figures," the beaver said, moaning a little as he chewed on his maple-bark fries. "These are about perfect this time of year. -Though when homemaking them, if you have the time, you can cook them real slow to caramelize the sugar. Then freeze and deep fry like you would with regular fries." He moaned a little, nodding.

"Might I try some?"

The beaver paused, cocking his head slightly. "Now I know that I can eat little bits of pred food and you can eat veg, but I didn't know that you could eat bark."

"Well, most mammals can eat the inner white-bark. In small amounts, it's probably a very good source of fibre."

"Well, be my guest then," the beaver offered, handing one over. Kris scraped the inner bark up and took a bite, sampling the flavours before swallowing.

"Not a big fan, but I can get why you'd like it."

"For a start," the beaver said, taking the remaining bit of hard bark back. "-I also eat the best bit."

"Very probably," Kris agreed, before turning back to his pasta.

"And again, you can take off that sign."

"I'm good."

They both ate a little more before the beaver chuckled. "I'm sorry…"

"-Sorry?"

"No, don't worry," he sighed. "But I've helped a bunch of eight to eleven year old unaccompanied minors get on their flights and such over the years, and I can't remember just how many of them were big and bold saying that they were grown-ups, that they could do this themselves, and that they didn't need some beaver who was trying to be cool with them to guide them around. They've pleaded with me to hang their signs away, or hide them, -especially the eleven-year-old girls, who are both brash and really fashion conscious. But you're thirteen and a half, right?"

"That's correct."

"So, a good chunk above the minimum 'flying solo' requirement. You could do this without me, and I can trust you to slip away that sign when sitting down and such. I mean, you weren't accompanied during the hop over from Charlottetown, were you?"

"No," Kris said, pausing slightly as his ears lowered. "But a family friend could drop me off there, and it's not a big airport or anything."

"Yup, I remember flying there once on a turboprop before they built the bridge. I'm guessing you were on one too when coming here, a dash-eight most likely."

"A Dash-8 Q400."

"Hmmm. Plane fan?"

"I read the inflight magazines and cards."

The beaver nodded. "Reading the cards, keeping the sign on you, I'm guessing you're just a bit nervous, playing it safe."

.

…

Looking up, Kris nodded a few times, before turning back down to his food. It was good, and he was hungry, but he found himself messing around with his fork a little.

"Hey," the Beaver said, leaning forward. He slipped his paw onto Kris' and looked up at him. "Now, if you were doing this solo, some busybodies might have a problem with this, but I'm the one accompanying you here so they can go cuss off as I've got a job to do." He paused, breathing out. "I know that having a dear family member with a serious illness is horrible. I know it's got to be a whole lot worse for you, as you're still young and this is your dad and your only parent, and you're going across a continent to live with some far off relatives in a city that's recently been in the news for about the worst reasons I can think of. I don't know how much worse that is, so maybe these words are sounding crappier than the Saint Lawrence just east of Montrenard, but it's going to be okay. It's going to be okay, Kristofferson. It's going to be okay."

Kris nodded back, taking a deep breath in. "Thanks. I… -I am a bit nervous," he said, "about my father. But it's going to be okay." He paused, looking up at his escort before looking down at his sign, managing to crack a smile. "It's why I'm glad I'm getting this escort, and why I'm keeping this sign on me. Things can be rough in life, and things can go wrong. But there are rules in place to guide you, and they'll keep you safe and help to fix any mistakes if you respect them. Follow them, and they'll help sort it out and pull you back on track." He paused, before looking up. "And there's good mammals along the way to help you out."

"Why thank you."

"It's more than that, though," Kris said. "My Dad is really ill, and I'm going to be a burden on my new family. They're all relying on me to keep it all together. But I can do that: I can do my best, I can follow the rules, I can trust in others and let them trust me. I can keep my head clear and calm and make the right choices, even if they're little ones like keeping this sign on. They all add up, but I'll be making the right choices and doing the right things, and it'll mean that everyone else will get their happy ending too."

The beaver smiled, raising his cola. "Well, good sir, I can drink to that."

Despite his nerves, Kris felt good, and his raised his glass of apple juice and clinked it against the beaver's. He was at a very confusing and worrying time in his life, but if he followed the instructions, he was confident that things would turn out just fine. If he made all the right choices and actions, it would all work out for everyone. He was confident that he'd see his father again.

.

.

_**One year later…**_

.

…

This was odd… This was very odd. But Kris remained calm as the tiger officer took the sheet from the headmistress's secretary. He was looking through it, trying to find a reference? Was it to do with the locker numbers. "Tchhh, so be it," he muttered, before turning, waving over one of the school caretakers. Kris watched him move over with a key towards… -His and Ash's locker? No, he was going to the lower one. His one. Why was he opening his lock…

.

.

…

_What…?_

He knew what they were. He knew exactly what they were, even though he'd only seen them once in a newspaper article. But they fit the bill, and with this kind of reaction from the police and the others, fear and tears and anger, there could only be one thing that they were.

Nighthowlers…

Four of them, in his locker, and now the police officers were turning to him and…

-No…

This couldn't be real, right? How could they get there? He'd never seen them before, and now the pawcuffs were coming out, and the officers were coming for him. He felt Ash's paw grip his own and he suddenly realised how thankful he was for it, and how useless it was in the grand scheme of things. He knew how much trouble he was in, he knew exactly what was coming next, and there was nothing he could do. Nothing anyone could do.

"Kristofferson Silverfox?"

He needed to say yes, but he felt the words freeze in his mouth, only managing a nod instead. That was his name, yes. This wasn't stopping, no. Things were going to get worse.

The tiger leant down and grabbed his left shoulder, yanking in its socket and spinning his world around. He felt an instinct flash through him, calling back to his karate training, but he let it slip from his mind. That would make it worse. Just stay calm, and…

"You are hereby under arrest for possession of an illegal and dangerous substance, you have the right to remain silent…"

Okay… This was really happening. Just keep calm, just do what he says… But his ears peeled as he heard the commotion behind him, and he felt the bite as pawcuffs, actual pawcuffs, bit into his arms, locking them in place.

"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. As a youth, any interrogations will be conducted with an attorney and legal guardian present."

He registered what was said, but his mind was still occupied by the noises around him. Looking around, scanning, locked in a semi-panic before he turned and found himself face to face with his terrified cousin.

He was panicking.

Was he okay?

"_Do you understand?"_

Kris closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. He needed to get this under control, he needed to make sure that Ash was okay. Refocussed, he looked back at his cousin. In his martial arts he'd had instructions on fighting in groups, with partners, and what to do if they were to receive an injury. Do what you need to do to keep them safe, so you can then stop worrying about them. He'd always worry about Ash, so he had to make sure that his cousin would be fine.

"_Do you understand?"_

-Right. -Silence, attorney, dad, nothing going on until then.

That… That was okay. He could manage that. He even managed to smile a bit, as if he played by the rules they could surely clear up this misunderstanding and everything would be okay. That cleared, he turned to Ash. "D-don't worry. There's probably a good explanation, I'll be fine."

"_Do you understand?"_

"Yes sir," Kris replied, closing his eyes and starting some breathing. Just keep calm for now, use some meditation techniques and this should float by.

He was jolted out of any pre-trance by the slam of a giant paw on his back, pushing him along.

"Any biting or related threats will result in the use of a muzzle…" the officer warned, another good reason to keep calm. "-Any attempts at escape will authorise the use of force…" As he said it though, the noise from behind him rose, cut through by a scream.

"Kris!"

Ash…

Kris closed his eyes. Keep calm, get this over with, stay strong for everyone. It's a simple mistake, it had to be.

"-You will be taken to Precinct One immediately where contact will be made with your guardians..."

"KRIS!"

The pain in the voice pulled too hard and he glanced back, getting a fleeting glimpse of his cousin before being pushed around a corner and out of view. He looked forward and carried on walking, just focussing on keeping calm. A few students peered out of the windows, and he heard the noise of them racing up as he was taken by. Down some steps, the tiger putting his paws on the cuffs, the metal biting in a little in a cold reminder, and they came to the exit doors. Pausing for a second or two, Kris closed his eyes and tried to calm himself again, succeeding at it. He felt calm as the doors were pushed open and he was marched out, passing a crowd of stunned students who'd been looking at the police cars, before finding himself in the back of one. The door was slammed shut and the tiger got in the front, before he lit up the lights and off they went.

.

…

"Aren't you going to say anything?" he asked, a growl in his voice.

Kris looked up at him. "I… I think it's best to stay quiet until I'm with my father. Then we can sort this mistake out."

"Mistake?" the tiger growled, flashing an angry glance back through the divider.

"I don't know how those things got there," he said, innocently enough. It was true! He had no idea but, once everything was ready, they could sort it out. The tiger was already starting a sarcastic rant, Kris' ears folding back as he realised that he thought he'd brought them there on purpose.

But he ignored him.

The officer had read them himself. There were rules in place to keep things safe, and he was going to follow them, as that way they could get everything fixed up. Closing his eyes, taking a deep set of breaths in and out, he pushed the sounds of the outside world out and focused on himself.

Keep calm, keep quiet, follow the rules like a good mammal, and soon he'd be with his dad and safe.

Soon…

.

.

.

…

"_Out."_

…

"I said out!"

Kris began waking from his meditative trance, only to be whipped straight out of it as the tiger pulled him out of the cruiser. They were in a secure area, underground, in what looked like a car parking lot. As he observed his surroundings, he noticed that he was in a fenced off area and, outside of that barrier, there were parked police cars.

He didn't get much time to see anything more though as his march on continued.

Just keep calm and keep quiet. Then all this can be sorted out.

Entering into a small room, the door locking hard behind him Kris noticed a height chart on one wall, opposite an officer with a camera. He guessed that this was where a mugshot of him would be taken…

An actual mugshot…

Though he tried to remain calm, he couldn't help but get a bit unnerved as the whole thing played out. He was well aware of the fact that he'd just been arrested, but each little step of the process just pushed home how real this really was.

"I am now going to uncuff you, you will take the board present and follow the instructions as your picture is taken. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Kris replied, keeping it simple as he picked the board up. He followed the instructions, standing in the expected positions as the pictures were taken, before being moved along.

Another room, in which a wolf officer, his ears lowering as he saw the young fox, performed a quick pat down. "The Chief told me to put him in an interview cell to wait for his father," he noted, the tiger nodding in return. The big cat turned to move away, but his gaze lingered on Kris as he went.

"Come on now."

Kris turned to the wolf officer, who was gesturing at him to move along. Nodding his head, he did so.

"Want a glass of water or anything? Hungry?"

"No thank you," Kris said. Keep it small, keep it polite. Walking through a mix of different corridors, they turned, and Kris found himself being led into a bland room with a table and chairs inside, along with what was most likely a two-way mirror. He walked in, moving towards one of the seats.

"Hey, you okay Kit?"

Kris looked back. "I think it's best to use my right to remain silent now, until my dad gets here. No offence."

.

…

"Probably the smartest move," the wolf noted. "None taken."

He shut the door behind him with a cold clank, and Kris let out a long breath. He'd just been arrested at school. He was now in a prison cell.

This…

This was bad.

He sat down on his chair and cradled his head in his paws. How… How could those things have gotten into his locker? How bad was this going to be…

.

.

…

Taking a deep breath in and out, he calmed himself down. He knew good cops, who could find out the real reason. He needed to stay calm and follow the rules for a little bit longer though, panicking would just hurt everyone.

But it was going to be okay.

After all, it shouldn't be long until his dad got here. He could be strong for him.

As he closed his eyes to meditate again, he could find true solace in that.

It kept him going until the door clicked open again, the familiar voice he'd been waiting for speaking out. "Kris?"

"Dad?"

Looking up, he smiled as his father rushed in, speeding over to embrace him. They hugged, tight and long, the older fox slipping his head over his son's shoulder and nuzzling into his kit. "Don't worry, we're going to sort this whole mess out."

Kris nodded, his muzzle rubbing into his father's. He savored the warmth and the connection, and he felt safe again. "Thanks," he said, suddenly feeling a bit emotional. It was funny in a way, the nerves and fear hadn't gotten to him, but the feeling that this silly thing could all be sorted out, and that he'd stayed strong for his father, had. He sniffed a few times, only for a female voice to speak out.

"I understand that this is an emotional moment, but we need you two ready if we're going to make some headway."

Glancing forwards, he noticed a cheetah officer sitting on the other side of the table, alongside two other mammals, a gemsbok and a horse. His father shifted away from him, turning to sit down. As he did so he held his son's paw with a tight grip, his son holding back.

"I am Officer Kii Catano," the cheetah introduced, before gesturing to the horse beside her. "Detective Oates and I will be interrogating you today as part of our investigation into the discovery of nighthowler pellets in your locker. In accordance with the Zootopian Youth Justice Act of 2003, both your legal guardian and a legal representative are here for the duration."

There was a pause as Kris turned to face the gemsbok, who was sitting himself down next to him. The large oryx turned and nodded, holding out a paw. "Peter Refu, nice to meet you."

"Kristofferson Silverfox," Kris replied, holding out his. "I'd have preferred this to be under improved circumstances."

They met and shook for a few seconds before the young fox took a breath in and out, looking forwards. The cheetah stared back at him for a second or two, before glancing down at her papers, shuffling them a little. Kris tried to feel calm, telling himself that he could answer their questions and they'd get it all cleared up, but he couldn't help but feel an unsettled pit of nerves twisting and growing in his stomach. They clenched harder and firmer as the cheetah looked up, her eyes meeting his, a decidedly predatory glint shining out from deep within. "Then let us begin."


	47. An Anonymous Vulpine 3

**Chapter 3**

.

The interrogation room was quiet for a moment or two before Detective Oates leant down to his side, pulling out a laptop. Placing it down and opening it up, he pressed the start button before speaking out. "Open emails… Open nighthowler pictures. Full screen."

He nodded a little before turning the device around, the screen branded with the image that had shocked Kris just a little while before. His locker, the books neatly stacked, a cluster of refined nighthowler pellets laying on top like a clutch of tiny eggs. The large horse gave Catano a look as she turned on a recorder, stating out who it was they were interrogating, before turning back towards his prisoner.

"That's a big name; Kristofferson," he began, seemingly exaggerating his Texan drawl. "I gather you're from out of town. Isn't that so?"

Kris paused, looking up to his father and Peter Rufu for advice, the latter speaking up. "At this stage, just state your name and current immigration status."

The young silver fox nodded, sounded sensible so he'd follow it. "My name is Kristofferson Emmanuel Silverfox. I've been living in Zootopia for about a year, first coming over so my Aunt and Uncle could look after me while my father was ill."

Oates nodded. "Canidea, correct?"

Kris nodded, smiling a little. "Yes, Prince Edward…"

"-So, you weren't here a few years ago," Oates spoke, cutting Kris off abruptly. He paused, looking down at the laptop, the picture shining out and the horses' voice darkening. "So, do you know what those things actually are?"

Rufu cut in, speaking to his client. "They might try and claim that you knowing what they are is proof you were familiar with them before. If the first time you knew what they might have been was when a cop read you the riot act, then tell them that."

He nodded. "I guess they're Nighthowler pellets. I mean, I'd heard about them in the news, I knew from the reports that they looked similar to blueberries. When the door opened and everyone acted scared, I kind of worked it out."

Kris' lawyer nodded, while Oates' nostrils flared. "Yes, and do you happen to know why they acted so scared?"

He nodded slowly, thinking back to that assembly a few months ago. "I gathered it must have been really rough for everyone living through it." How much rougher was it now, he wondered, given that mammals might be thinking that he'd been bringing some in. He wasn't stupid, he knew that was what those in front of him were thinking, that they were his. "But seeing how much it hurt my friends, I'd have never put them through the same kind of thing."

"And what exactly would you put them through then?" Oates pressed, beginning to lean forward. His head alone was almost as big as Kris' torso and his presence filled the room, beginning to press in on the mammal he was staring down. "Because the way I see it, bringing a few notorious bioweapons into school is sure to cause a bit of a ruckus, don't you agree officer?"

Catano nodded. "This is serious, the laws around things like that are more severe than if you'd brought a gun to school."

"Speaking of which, was that your plan?" Oates asked, looking up in the corner of the room as he thought aloud. "Because I hear an awful lot about what's going on in the States, every month a new school getting shot up by some kid who wants his five minutes of fame and all that. Now, I don't agree with an awful lot that goes on here in Zootopia, but that not happening is quite personally a pretty positive in my books…" There was a pause as he turned down, his eyes boring into Kris' and his voice dropping an octave as it hardened. "Which makes me more than a little angry to hear that some foreign kit might be comin' in to put his own twist on the thing, using our worst nightmare to make it stand out and all."

Dr Silverfox looked at Oates with venom in his eyes, his tail wrapping around his son as he spoke. "How dare you even suggest that my boy would do anything like that!"

"You're not the one that needs to be answering," Oates said. "He is."

"My father is right though," Kris spoke. "-About me never doing anything like that. -I can't even imagine why someone would. I like my school, I like my friends, I wouldn't put them in harm's way. I don't know where those nighthowlers came from or why they were in my locker, I haven't even touched it since Friday."

One of Oates' ears flicked up as he moved to speak. Kris though couldn't help but notice one of his legs brushing up against Catano's, the cheetah immediately blurting in and cutting him off. "-So, you genuinely don't know where those came from?"

"No."

"You have no supplier, nobody you were doing pick-ups or drop offs for?"

"No," Kris said again, glancing over at the picture, still shining out with the pellets on full display. "I mean, if I were why would I place them like that?"

"-That's something I was going to bring up," his lawyer said. "If my client was involved in nefarious dealings, why would he place those drugs in such an obvious place? There is no attempt made to hide them, bury them, disguise them. Indeed, simply opening that locker up would put them at risk of being spotted. In addition, there's the risk of other species smelling them. If this was part of a deal, then arguably only an idiot would bring them into school, yet alone store them like that."

"Well," Oates said, a crap eating grin on his face. "Given that he was caught messing with howlers, I think we can all agree that your client meets that definition."

Kris bristled a little, only for his father to speak ahead of him. "Do not insult my son," he hissed, this time nudging up to him and hugging him tighter, something received with mixed feelings given all that was going on. "Even if you ignore his grades and reports, I've got numerous friends, some of them your own colleagues, who can testify that my son is nothing like that. I don't know how scared he's been today, given what's happened to him, but however much it is I'd appreciate it if you stopped poking him and actually worked on finding out who put them in there in the first place."

Oates shrugged. "In that case, please step back while we ask our prime suspect a few more questions. Now, Mr Refu, in terms of the smell, few mammals know what nighthowlers smell like, especially in the city. I'd agree that if this were somewhere out in Bunnyburrow, you'd have something going on there. As for why they're like that, maybe it's so they're easy to slap your paw down onto, or for grabbing and chucking at a nearby elephant when the time is right. I believe one of the teachers is a bull one, isn't he?"

"My religious studies teacher, who I like and get on with, is one, yes," Kris said. "But I've never seen those things before or want anything to do with them. I just want to clear this up and help you find who really put them in there."

"So, you deny it was you," Oates spoke darkly, Kris noting that, once again, he'd tapped Catano with his foot hoof.

"I've never seen or touched them before."

"Are you certain?" Catano spoke. "If you're just a cog in the machine, manipulated or not, we could strike a deal where you give up those higher up. Given that this is a serious but non-violent offence, you'd probably be in a reform school until you graduate. However, if you cooperate you could potentially earn weekend home passes from the get go. If you were under duress, so forced under threat of violence, you could leave here a free mammal."

Kris' lawyer began to speak, ready to explain what Catano was speaking about, only for Kris to pip him to the post with something completely different. "If I could help you I would but I can't. I know nothing. Someone else must have placed those things there."

His voice echoed around the room, the two officers looking at each other. Catano gave a look to the door, Oates nodding, and they stood up, the latter tapping the recorder off. "We'll just be going out to discuss stuff in private. Ya'll can talk about your stuff in here too. We'll be back in a sec."

"That seems fair," the lawyer said, as the two stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

There was a pause, before Dr Silverfox grabbed Kris' paws, looked into his son's eyes silently for a few seconds before pulling him into his chest, hugging him tight. The young silver fox shook a little before relaxing, his own paws finding his way around his father. "Did I mess up there, at the end?" he asked quietly.

"Not at all," his lawyer said.

"Good," he said, relaxing. "Thought so, but…"

"It doesn't matter," reassured him. "You did well."

Kris smiled. He always valued keeping cool, keeping his emotions in check; heck, it was why his friends jokingly called him Mr Calm.

But today had been rough, and even though he was certain that things were going to be okay, he was surrounded by good people after all, a little part of him was rather utterly terrified. Especially when he feared that he'd tripped up and messed up all the other hard work others were putting in to keep him safe. But it wasn't to be, he'd kept calm throughout and hadn't let his father down.

They held each other close, their lawyer holding off as they comforted each other, taking refuge in those they loved in this most trying time.

.

* * *

.

From the other side of the observation screen, Chief Bogo looked on, scratching his chin before turning to see Catano and Oates come in. "Well," he said, looking up at them. "We know how this one is pleading."

The large horse nodded before sitting down, scratching his head with his hoof. "I'm feeling a little rotten going on at him like that, but the way I see it he's either telling the truth or he's got a poker face you do not want to ever go against."

The Chief nodded, before looking over at Catano. "Offering a deal I see. Have the Detectives Dawson been rubbing off on you?"

She frowned distastefully. "No, I just happened to be lumbered playing the good cop this time. Not that it helped us."

"No it did not," the Chief noted darkly, turning back to face his suspect through the mirror. He peered down on the young silver fox, currently being filled in on his rights and situation by his lawyer. He did not envy him right now. "This is the best lead we have right now," the Chief said slowly, turning back to his officers. He couldn't help but kick himself for sending away his two newest detectives, right as everything flared up, but what was done was done. Of course, adding to all of this, was the fact that he'd had to take Wilde and Hopps off the case. Of all the mammals who had to turn up with the howlers in their locker, it was one they knew. Wilde's soon to be godchild's cousin.

But that didn't mean he doubted that they'd get to the bottom of this. Oates was an old hoof at the game but not one to underestimate, while Catano was highly competent in her own right. "I want you to explore every avenue you can with extreme prejudice. Do you understand?"

They both nodded.

"Now, what do you think, and where do we go from here?"

.

* * *

.

Meanwhile, across the city, various other little chats were going on. Back at the school, hundreds were taking place as the news spread. Students talked or shouted or argued, staking their claim that one of their own was guilty or innocent. Originally it was only the class in question that was going to be returning home that day, the parents turning up and having their own, worried, chats with their children. However, the news about the nighthowlers had spread and soon more parents, from other classes or years, were turning up, trying to get their children away from any danger that might be present.

"-I mean, who knows if there's more in the school?" a red fox tod said, shaking a little as he pulled his daughter away. That daughter, almost eighteen and with long locks of flowing blonde hair, was uncharacteristically accepting of his concern. "I mean if someone wanted to cause damage, they might have been slipping them into the canteen food. Into the soup or a salad or who knows what."

The vixen in question nodded, finally slipping back and pulling her paw out of her father's as they cleared the school grounds. "I guess so," she said. "But you know I eat offsite."

He paused, looking back at her and nodding. "I know, Brittany, but what if another animal eats them, I… -You know how concerned we were, I was, back then."

She nodded slightly. "I know, we're still getting through the toilet paper stockpile. But that was more because we feared that we might…" She left the rest unsaid.

"Yes," he sighed. "I did too dear, I did too. But I was also scared that I'd be out one day and then a giant lion or a bear might come down on you or me. And now I'm scared that a kid might wait until he's in a crowd to howler himself! Or hit an elephant! And he's in the same room that you are, then…"

This time it was his turn to leave things unsaid. An awkward silence filled the air as Brittany looked around, briefly spotting a younger student from the class she was a prefect in walking on the other side of the road. Her heart flickered with concern as she saw the white ewe trembling and shaking, looking this way and that out of terror. "Maisy…" she called out, pausing as the younger student looked up and jumped in shock, practically running down the street to a waiting car, gleaming in the sunlight where it stood. Someone from inside pulled open the front passenger seat and she leapt in, the door closing as the massive black SUV rolled off into the distance.

"Huh, she was in a hurry," Brittany's father commented, before turning down to her. "Come on, let's go home."

The blonde haired vixen held still for a second or two before shaking her head. "Gah… Yeah, that sounds good."

Off they went again, the air filled with an awkward silence which he occasionally tried to break. "I'm guessing you know her, right?"

"Yeah, she's in the form I prefect for. Some stupid bullies must have made her life crap after Smellwether was taken in."

"You think people might say that she did it?"

Brittany shrugged. "Not the craziest thing. I mean, there's some people going around saying that this other kit in that form, Kris, was the one they found the howlers on." She looked off to the site before barking out a tiny laugh. "I mean, they could at least try to be realistic. Seriously…"

.

* * *

.

Elsewhere in the city, three mammals skulked down in a small hidey-hole. They weren't ones who liked to be seen, even as they did what needed to be done. Few mammals would understand their goals, their aims, their enemies. Few here at least. A long time ago in a different place, they'd been heroes, but that was a long and tiring battle won a long time ago. The lead one, his muzzle scowling as his eyes flicked over the incoming reports, let out a little growl. "A kit… He dragged a kit into all this!"

A delicate paw touched over his coiling one and he looked to the side. "Keep calm, dear," she said softly as he broke off, huffing.

"You don't understand, it's not the first time. Back east, our mutual former least favourite Mayor in existence made sure that some kids still in elementary school went to juvie, _for years, _all to spite me!"

The room fell quiet as she looked around. Whatever happy ending may have come out of those past exploits, that was still a terrible sore spot.

"-It was Halloween, dammit. They were kids, they were just kids…" He paused and sniffed as a third, much larger, paw touched his shoulder in solidarity. There was a deep rumble from behind them as the third, larger, member spoke up.

"I know you still part blame yourself for what happened to them, but it wasn't your fault then and this isn't like that at all."

"-And then there was that teen in Delmar he called by mistake," the first mammal carried on. "He then humiliated himself in front of him, raged on at him for daring to mock him and then sent his lackeys out to bring him in for that little insult! That kit had to flee the state for the whole summer!"

"He literally stayed at a friend's house across the street, and we had it all sorted by summer's end."

The leader waved back dismissively. "Yes, but my point is still entirely valid," he spoke, before adopting a more sober tone. "But, damn, I thought we were past that. I thought with his defeat we were all past that stuff, finally past bringing kits into it, but no. Our new nemesis is into it too. Maybe he did his research, worked out that this was a real sore spot for us, huh…"

"Maybe not," the second member spoke. "Maybe this isn't something personal between him and us."

"It's not your name that he takes in vain you know."

"I know," she said, as he sighed.

"-And I was so close before! So close, but he gave me the slip. I still wonder if I should have broken cover to the Chief, Wilde and Hopps, we were all together… Hindsight and all… But why this, why now?"

The third mammal spoke again. "Well, let's say it's a piece of his puzzle. How does it help him? A distraction maybe? It could be drawing us away right now while they take in that package my brother discovered." He frowned a little. "And after how much I ribbed flyboy for letting the bad guys swipe that, I don't want to make myself look like an idiot too."

"As far as my research shows, that package, whatever they want with the Don's last moments, is still in transit with '_Elsa_'," the second mammal spoke. "We'll have some time before we have to deal with it. But that leaves this mystery unanswered. Any thoughts, dear?"

"I wish I knew," the first mammal said, looking back forward as a predatory glean shined over his eyes. "But I'm thinking that some of his lackeys will be out there to guide things along the way that he and his gang wants them to go. We find them, we can follow them back to their leader."

"And the kit?" the female member asked.

The leader looked back to his screen. "I gather he's got some good mammals on his side. Briefly met them myself, same time I almost got him. But we'll make him pay for this."

The figure behind him nodded and smiled. "Shall I get out my big cussin' stick?"

The leader smiled and turned back to the incoming data. "Yeah. I think we're going to need it."

.

* * *

.

"What...!"

The exclamation echoed out, its originator's brow furrowing as he read on further. There was a slight clatter from the side, before he noticed someone much larger than him, but not really the person he wanted, enter. "A new problem, dear?"

"No, beautiful, no…" he said, as he opened up his phone and called a very important number. "Not yet at least, though knowing our luck it'll… -Yes! Yes, this is important! Have you heard the news about the howlers and the school yet?"

The response filtered out as he nodded to it. "I hear that's the very basics of it, not that I really care for the kid either way. What I want to know is whether he was one of yours or not?"

…

"Well, I'm sorry you're short-staffed, but as we all say sacrifices have to be made, dear chap."

…

"Well, from some more than others," he said rather pointedly, grumbling a little. He listened on to the complaints coming from the other end of the line, his brow furrowing further before jumping up with a jolt. "-I'll have you know that I'm still perfectly committed to our joint plan, thank you very much!"

…

"-Project Black Phoenix is being done on my own time, don't you know," he spoke, paw going to his heart. "Moreover, I would _never_ go against my word to a fellow miscreant."

What followed were a few little chastisements which he begrudgingly ignored, letting them sail over his head. All part of compromising really. In any case, he only really joined up with this fellow out of respect for the misdeeds he'd done in the past, and what he had planned for the future. Oh, not forgetting his own partner of course, the third side of this little triangle. Now there was a mammal who really could do stuff, and had. Not to belittle the guy he was currently talking to, of course.

Indeed, he'd finally got the answer to his question.

"So then how did they end up there?"

…

"Well, we'll have to see," he muttered, having a various mix of dark feelings about this. Oh, it meant they couldn't be betrayed or tracked back to, but it meant there was stuff going on that he didn't know about. He really didn't like there being stuff going on that he didn't know about, and as he began digging and researching, he swore to himself that he would remedy that situation promptly. "You and your partner will have to do their best to gather up any information on this, you hear!"

…

"Good," he muttered, looking on at the data coming in. Nothing classified yet, sadly. Instead there were the various ripples on the pond of social media, truly a dreary and depressing thing for someone like him to have to filter through. Still, he had to know. Not knowing meant that things could turn and coil up in the dark, striking you with no warning and from the angle you least expected. Knowing, though, knowing could open doors. He knew. It felt so long ago that he didn't know about _it, _about that dark truth that couldn't be spoken. But he'd found it, and like Adam and Eve biting the apple there had been no going back then. Years travelling, learning, discovering, getting the pieces together as he readied himself to truly enter history. Oh, if his old enemies could know what he planned, if they could begin to see and understand. He was a marvellous villain, if he did say so himself, one of the greatest.

But in the grand scheme of things there was more than that.

With this he would rise up, past the likes of his partners or the corrupt mayors and bloodied dictators, even past those unknown legends in the criminal shadows. He might even find out the identity of whoever ran his arms supplier, one of the great mysteries in the criminal underworld. Those who had been good to him would be rewarded, he was fair, but as for himself…

He hadn't just bitten the apple, he'd harvested a bunch and was cooking them up into a very special baked treat as he spoke. There was one shadow to rule them all and it had once cast long and dark in the blackest of places, its presence even felt unknowingly in the lightest, but its place had been emptied. He would fill it again, and unlike the past occupier, this time he would not stay hidden.

He mused on, quickly piecing together the real name of that anonymous vulpine. "Kristofferson Silverfox," he said, rolling it over on his tongue. It rolled well, and he raised an eyebrow. An errant thought, most would dismiss it as nothing, but…

He typed on further, then further, then further as his brow furrowed and his eyes darted across the screen. There was a nudge from his side as his paramour leant down to get closer look, her eyes widening. "My word…"

He was too busy processing it to spare a response.

"Of all the chances and coincidences..."

"Of all indeed," he said, a hundred different feelings flowing through his mind. Oh, this could be good, very good in fact. He had had no idea and, though things were less than ideal now, he was perfectly forgiving given that he wouldn't have otherwise known. "So, how do we play our cards with this little treat then?" he spoke, smiling.

"Whichever way you feel best."

He smiled wider, turned back down to the screen and let off a wicked laugh. "Oh, little Silverfox, thanks for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm afraid I've got some good news and some bad news. That bad news, unfortunately, is that things are going to get much wronger for you. The good news? Ah, well you see, the good news is for me and, sadly, not for you. But I can assure you that it is _very_ good news."

.

* * *

.

"Wait, a fox?"

"Yes, so I've gathered," a white-tailed deer doe spoke. She was not liking this conversation. Indeed, she rarely liked any conversation with this mammal and, as he was technically her boss, she had to go through a lot of them. Thankfully, though, he wasn't lined up to be her boss for much longer. Indeed, were they not caught up in a lot of nasty machinations above their heads then, following the popular sentiment, their positions should be reversed (and staying that way for the foreseeable future). But, in the here and now she had to put up with it. She grimaced at his subdued response, _not_ the kind of one you'd want to hear from someone in his position.

"Pardon me," he spoke, giving a fake cough as he tried to cover up what he'd actually let out. She wasn't fooled. "I think I'll take this from here."

She winced, glancing down to look at the picture on her desk. There she stood, the big burly arms of a mountain lion wrapped around her, his fanged mouth giving her cheek a little bite. "From what I gather, this isn't an adult, it was one of the stu…"

"I'll take this from here," he spoke again, and she winced, not knowing if he sounded frustrated at that development or excited. Were she able to cross her hooflets, she would, hoping for the former.

"Are you certain? I can easily…"

"-I think this needs to be treated as seriously as a scared population would want it to be," he spoke. Again, she wasn't sure if he was angry or excited, though this time she felt that 'all of the above' could also apply. "I mean from someone like yourself, who must have been in so much fear due to a certain mayor's actions…"

She hissed, glancing down to her picture again. After all he'd said, how dare he…

"-Don't you agree?" He asked, this time with a definite glee in his voice.

"I'll be forwarding them on," she spoke plainly, "I see you've smelt blood in the water and are winding yourself up, I can practically hear you salivating. Good hunting." Hanging up, she took a moment to compose herself. She didn't share those sentiments, but she knew that he would be most irritated with her metaphor choice. Small victories and all, but now it was time to get to work. There wasn't anything that she could do and, in any case, his excesses would be hamstrung by the youth protection laws. Regardless, she felt she better warn those on the front line.

.

* * *

.

"Kris isn't going to jail, is he?"

Silence filled the room as the various mammals turned to look at Ash. He shied away from their gaze, looking down and fussing with his fingers as he tried to keep himself calm. It was broken off as a red paw touched his, stroking the top before working down and under to grip it hard. "Ash," his father said confidently. "As the head of the Fox family, let me tell you that we'll do each and every thing possible or imaginable before letting something like that happen to one of our own."

Ash held on a little tighter, only to look down at the floor. "Seriously though," he said.

"I… " Mr Fox began, before cutting himself off. He sighed. "We'll fight for him, fight for him hard," he promised, as Ash looked up at him. Their gaze held for a few seconds, the younger fox at least feeling a little less lost, before a new voice spoke up.

"Hey Mr," Nick began, before making a spitting sound. "Things are going to be okay, and even if something goes horribly wrong, which it shouldn't, then your cousin will not be going to jail."

"But…" Ash began, only to be cut off by his father.

"I think he might be right, we've got some pretty good laws, don't we?"

Nick nodded. "I think it was back when your father was off doing his ranger stuff, but back when I was in high school a bad thing happened with the youth justice system…"

"-Was this the thing with squirrel troubles," Haida asked. "I remember my mother pulling my sister from school after the reports began coming in."

Nick nodded, turning to Ash. "Okay, quick primer. Government tries to force red and grey squirrels to get along. Red and grey squirrels do not get along. Suspensions do not work, squirrel parents are happy their kids were fighting the enemy, so, oopsie number one, they let teachers make detentions be spent in Juvie. Oopsie number two, they think that teachers will be reasonable and use common sense. Spoiler, many weren't. Bad teachers with petty grudges made kits spend the night in juvie for basically nothing. The good news is that most people were mad at this, it all got scrapped after a few months. Better news, afterwards all political parties decided to work together for once and update the youth justice laws."

Ash nodded. "Okay, updated them to what?"

This time Judy spoke. "The agreement was that the system should make sure that a hungry orphan street kit, stealing a little bit of food or something, should have no chance of ending up behind bars. For a start, all youth interrogations require a lawyer and legal guardian present."

"Which was why they couldn't start until your uncle came in," Nick added. "Besides that, on the other side of the courtroom fence, they really try to avoid Juvie. When I was a kit, this city had about a dozen. Now they just have one, and only the _really _nasty kids are sent there. I'm talking about your willful murderers, the mammals who beat others to a pulp, your sex offenders, your triple-repeating offender or escapee. I'm talking the worst of the worst. Your shoplifters, hackers and trespassers can get fines, ankle tracking and community service, while your car jackers and drug dealers can get sent to secure training centres. Reform schools so to speak. Which I've heard are more like boarding schools. Visits are easier, they don't have cells or uniforms, and if the behaviour is good they let you out for weekends or even holidays."

Ash nodded, still not liking the sound of that. They'd still be taking Kris away, from his friends, from his family, from his life and from his father. After all that time worrying and waiting, after finally getting back together again, the two were just going to get torn apart. Again. He brought his knees up and wrapped his tail around his legs, sulking as he closed his eyes, their corners misting up. He couldn't help but remember those angry looks and stares before the event, the look on his cousin's face as he last saw him, and how useless he'd been as he was taken away.

"Ash…"

It was his father, but he shrugged it off. How could he understand? How could he even tell him about how he'd messed up, about how he'd…

"-Listen." It was Nick. "Kris will not be going away. Yes, they found those things in his locker, but do you know how strong that proof is in a court of law?"

Ash managed to peek up a little. "It seems like a lot."

"Does it?" Nick began, "yes, yet it does. But it can't stand on its own."

"After all," Judy continued, "those lockers aren't infallible. We've had drug cases in schools before, and every mammal can argue that someone opened theirs up and put something in. The police were called from outside, right?"

"I guess," Ash admitted. "They just turned up."

"Right," Judy agreed. "It's well known that a mammal could try that sort of thing. After all, I'm pretty sure you've heard of stuff like swatting. A good lawyer, something Kris should get, even before your uncle could hire one, can make that argument. Given that you need proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt for a conviction, you need something else too. Most of the time we check cameras, ask for witnesses, investigate the perps home and schedule, even doing a blood test. This usually gives a mix of things that paint the mammal in question as a user or dealer."

"And I know this is different," Nick carried on. "But the same principles will apply and they won't find all that other stuff, which means your cousin will not be convicted. -Unless he actually did do it, which he didn't, of course."

The last bit lightened Ash's mood a little, giving him a brief respite from everything. However, it all began to pool back again, along with another, scary, thought. One that seemed to tear through him, freezing him in terror, as a knock on the door rang out. Ash looked up, breathing in faster and faster as the cheetah cop stepped inside and turned to look right at him. "Hello, Ash Fox? Mind if we have a little chat?"

.

* * *

.

"Yes, understood," Chief Bogo spoke, sighing as he put down his phone. He looked up to his waiting pair of officers. "That was Assistant District Attorney Jeanette Deux, just warning us that the DA himself is taking over."

The reaction was more pronounced on the predator of the pair.

"Make of it what you will," he said. The pair nodded, gathering up the files they'd been reviewing and slipping off. Bogo turned and looked on into the interview room. Inside was a new occupant, a new fox kit, looking as scared as he'd expect the true guilty party to be.


	48. An Anonymous Vulpine 4

**Chapter 4:**

.

The two officers stepped into the room, pausing a little as they saw who was there. There was the youth who they'd been interrogating of course, his lawyer as standard, and the required parent or guardian standing by him, the identity of which raised a few eyebrows.

"Are you sure you want to be here, given your condition?" Oates asked.

A paw running across her ripening belly, Mrs Fox gave him a hard look back. "I don't feel any less capable than usual," she spoke out, letting the slightest bit of venom into her words.

"Just, maybe your husband would…"

"I decided it would be best if I was there for my children today," she spoke, running her paw over her belly again; saying that in the plural, wanting to remind them what state she was in. After all, this horse was already making himself out to be a Good Ol' Boy, and she knew a thing or two about them. First, they liked to fight and look good doing so. Second, they liked it to be honourable. Third, having to go up against a heavily pregnant vixen like herself was sure to throw him off his game, both making him go a little easier and helping him to underestimate her. After all, in all that faux concern, there was a little hint of belief that she might be a little more quote-unquote emotional than usual.

Well, she was emotional, but it was just the one, unwavering, remorseless feeling that coursed through her. The way she saw it, she had three kits, and two of them were at risk here with the third potentially having to live with the fallout. As a result, she was going to play every dirty trick and every sly underhanded tactic that she could. Her husband would fight, he'd fight well, but he was like this horse. He'd be putting on a show, trying to one-up the opponent and enjoying the means as he worked towards the ends.

She, meanwhile, would just be winning it.

The other officer, a cheetah, looked over at her and smiled. "Aaaawwww," she said. "Congratulations."

Felicity turned to look at her and stayed silent. She let her eyes stay focussed on the feline until her grin began to waver and fade, before letting a little smile grow on her own face. "Thank you."

The cheetah managed a little smile back before turning to Oates and nodding, pressing the recording button as she did so. "Now," she said, looking down. "Can I have your name, please?"

Mrs Fox turned, keeping her emotions in check as she looked at her son. He seemed terrified, she couldn't blame him, not after the horror show he'd just had to witness at his school. Then, as he finally started to piece things together after being picked up, he'd been called up and put under the spotlight. He briefly looked up at her, her heart wincing as she saw the trembling in his eyes, before she held on to his paw and nodded her head. He breathed in and out and then spoke.

"A-A-Ash Fox," he said, his words unsteady. She felt him fidget with his paw.

"Now then," Catano began, slowly. "Can you tell me how you feel about your cousin's arrest?"

"Huh!?"

"How do you feel about it?" she spoke again,

Mrs Fox looked down on him as he paused, closed his eyes and began breathing in and out through his nose. She gently let go of his paw, letting him hold them thumb-claw to index-pad, only to be broken off by the horse detective.

"Listen son, you do know that wasting police time is an offence?"

He jolted out of it, beginning to mumble fearfully before Felicity grabbed his paw, holding it as tight as she could while she snapped to face the enquiring equid. "My son has just seen something utterly traumatic. I think you can see that he's in intense emotional distress and, as he's been taught by his cousin, he was trying to use some meditative techniques to calm down. Now, I don't want you to waste our time by pushing him when he's not ready. Have I made myself clear?"

The sharp tongued response cleared the air for a second or two, Ash using the time to compose himself properly. She silently noted that attempts at playing up the 'emotionally unstable underdog' card might not work from now on, given that she'd been scathing enough to make an elephant think twice. In that case then, that was how she would roll.

"-I understand that you're being protective of your children," Catano began slowly.

"You don't seem to act like it."

Her ears went down and her brow furrowed. "-But we need to hear this from him, himself. It's important. So, Ash, how do you feel about your cousin's arrest?"

Mrs Fox looked down as he breathed in and out. "Scared," he spoke, the words sounding hollow.

"Anything else?"

"I…" he began, pausing to rub his head. There was a pause, a sniff, and Felicity made sure she was holding his paw tight, making sure her precious little kit knew she was there. "It just went all wrong, it just all did. It was over, it was good and things were going to be good. But now they're not, and I'm scared, scared because you might be taking Kris away and he doesn't deserve to be taken away, it's not fair… I... "

"What went wrong exactly," Oates asked.

"Life! And everything," Ash said, shaking his head. "We'd got it all sorted, it was going to be okay, but now it's not."

"So, things weren't sorted before?"

"No," he began. "But I was getting better thanks to Kris, but now he's gone."

"Do you know why he's gone?"

"Yes! He had night howlers in his locker, but…"

"-But why did he have them in there?"

"I don't know!" Ash exclaimed, paws going out before his face crumpled into them. "He'd never have them there. Someone… Someone must have put them there…"

"Do you know why someone put them there?" Catano asked. Mrs Fox made sure to show her a paw, before bending down to hold an arm around her son. She wanted to get through this quickly, but seeing him so wound up was hurting her. He didn't deserve this and he was right, things had all been good, but now everything had been pulled out from underneath him and they weren't even giving him the chance to get back up again.

"Do you know why someone put them there?" Catano asked again, Felicity making sure to give her a death glare.

"Son, do you know?" Oates spoke, the horse then getting the same treatment. He was unphased. "This is important! This could help him!"

"-They were jealous?" he blurted out, then shrugging a little.

"-I'd like to make it known that my son just shrugged," Felicity spoke, before looking up to their lawyer.

"Something I will second."

She then turned to the officers, making sure that they were backing off as Ash began doing a breathing exercise, slowly getting his nerves back together again. A moment or two passed before he spoke again. "Okay," he said slowly. "I can carry on now."

"Let's say that your cousin is in fact responsible for this," Catano began. "Do you know any reason why? Any reason, however small?"

"No…"

"Do you know any time or place he could have gone off to get some, anyone he was working with?"

"No."

"And what about how he'd transport them, I mean he'd have to have wipes to make sure they don't stain him or anything."

"I don't know," Ash sighed. "But he didn't do it! Someone must have put them in his locker."

"Uh-hu," Catano said slowly, nodding her head. "Okay then. How did your day start off?"

"What?" he asked, as Felicity looked over at them. This time, Catano had her paws up.

"We might be able to find an alibi or clue. Just go on."

"Well I got up," he said. "Had a shower, had breakfast, cycled to school. Went to registration, joined Kris in english, we were doing presentations and I was just taking the time to proof my one while others were doing theirs. Then things started going on, the teachers began acting odd and the police began arriving and I began to get worried and…"

"-Scared they were here for you," Oates spoke out.

Ash said "Yeah," before either his mother or lawyer could stop him. Suddenly in damage control mode, Felicity shushed him and snapped around to face off against Oates, the shark in horse's clothing now smelling blood.

"Yes, and why would that be!?" he barked out.

"I…" Ash began, Felicity turning to him, ready to make him shut his mouth but instead caught between sadness and relief as he choked up, his ears going back.

"Of course you know why that would be, wouldn't you?" Oates began, as Felicity snapped to him, only to hear Ash speak as she did so.

"Yes," he said, before his eyes widened in horror. "-I mean…"

"Stop it!" she ordered, to the both of them.

"-No. I don't know," Ash corrected, panting hard and holding his mother's paw tight.

Her guard raised against Oates, Felicity didn't notice Catano, the cheetah butting in. "What do you know?"

"I feel guilty!" Ash wailed, his head going down and burrowing into his paws.

"We need a break," his lawyer argued, stepping up.

"And that means silence!" Felicity almost yelled, her voice lashing so hard it must have disturbed her baby. She felt a slight kick, her paw defensively going down to defend it, her claws baring.

.

…

"Now listen," Oates began.

"No, you listen, my son and nephew have been through enough!"

The horse shrugged. "Which is why I didn't want their mother doing something that she would regret either," he said slowly, sitting down and raising a hoof. Felicity took a moment or two to compose herself; she was standing out, her fur all on end and tail bottlebrushing. Her teeth were almost bared too, things she took the time to rectify. Then she turned to her son, her heart breaking as she saw him almost shivering, a few glistening tears running down his muzzle. She could do nothing but dive in and hold him tight.

"It's going to be okay," she said. "Nothing is wrong."

"Can I clarify something," he croaked.

She held back and looked at him, before glancing up at the fourth adult in the room as he cleared his throat. "Let me hear it first," he said. Felicity nodded, Ash whispering into his ear. He nodded, whispered back, then turned to the officers. "My client is going to clarify what he meant by that last remark. You will not interrupt or pressure him until it is over. Understand?"

Catano nodded and smiled a little, something Felicity had a not too faint desire to punch in. "Absolutely."

Ash shuffled away, breathed in and out, and spoke. "I don't know why," he said faintly. "I… When the teachers and everyone started going around, I just felt they were going after me. They just seemed to be looking at me and, I know now that it was them looking at Kris, but I felt they were after me and then they were taking me out, keeping an eye on me. Then we got to the lockers, his is below mine, and I thought they were glancing at me. I thought they were there for my one. But then they opened his up and they took him away, but I still sort of thought it was me who they were supposed to…" He broke off, sniffing. "-Me who they were supposed to be taking. I don't know why. I don't. I'm scared of those things, the howlers, I don't like them. I was there during the first scare! The head said something about survivor's guilt after, maybe it's that. But Kris… Kris is Kris, it wouldn't be him. I just kind of think it was meant to be me…"

A cold silence filled the room as the young fox trailed off, only matched by the pit of ice forming in Felicity's heart. She immediately dived down, holding a non-resistive Ash, hoping, pleading, that this would somehow let him know that he was wrong. He was completely wrong. This wasn't his fault, this wasn't Kris' fault, it was the fault of no mammal here and he should take any silly idea in his head that he was to blame and stuff it into the nearest correctly labelled rubbish bin. Her paw fussing around, catching his ear, she closed her eyes and breathed in, whispering into him. "Please don't blame yourself. Please don't."

As she did so her lawyer was talking. "My client has clearly gone through something extremely traumatic, not helped by the shambolic way in which the officers responsible handled the initial arrest. I'm sure you've all experienced past events when responding to accidents or traumatic attacks, survivors' guilt is not uncommon. What is uncommon, and in this case repugnant, is an attempt to use this kit's survivor's guilt as a way of implicating himself."

Felicity managed to gaze over at them. The cheetah cop's ears were folded back slightly, though the horse was stonewalling them, his nostrils flaring a little. "So, it was extremely traumatic. I'm guessing you were close to your cousin then?"

There was a faint nod from Ash and Felicity broke off, sitting up and staring daggers at the horse, the occasional one given to the cheetah too. If they tried anything, she was ready to bite.

"Yeah," Ash said weakly.

"Quite odd for cousins to be that close."

"They lived under the same roof for half a year," Felicity spoke harshly. "Like twin brothers. They're in the same class, they work on their own projects together. Kris is like a son to me and he's become a brother to my boy."

"Yes, after a few hiccups along the way," he spoke, and then Mrs Fox saw red.

"If you're thinking about going where I'm thinking you're going, you better not be," she stated, standing up.

"Keep…"

"-How do you even know about how my son and nephew got along?"

There was a pause, then a shrug. "We looked up police records. There was an officer we all know who got quite involved in your family, and a partner who has always been dutiful about record and paperwork filing."

"After all my son… -after all we've been through, I'm sure it'll make you feel nice, big and strong rubbing all that in again," she spoke.

"I'm not judging," he said with a shrug, turning down to Ash. Felicity looked at him, expecting him to by crying or focusing on his breathing exercises. Instead he was staring out at him angrily, a scowl on his face and his jaw in the earliest stages of a scowl. His tail was bottlebrushing too, and she knew that this had a strong chance of not going well.

"Well I'm not jealous of him anymore," Ash spoke, turning down and spitting on the ground. She'd usually chastise him on that, but she felt like giving him a break here. "I know he's better than me at everything, but I'm okay with that. I know I'm still good at what I do, and one thing I am is a good cousin and a good friend! You think I put them in there out of jealousy, don't you? You… you just want to throw both of us foxes in jail or something and call it a job well done! Well you're not good cops at all!"

…

Oates looked down at the floor, before turning to the intercom and pressing in. "Just to be advised, the client did just spit on the floor. If he does it again or at one of us we might need to take precautions. Are there any alpacas or anything the size of foxes? We just might need an anti-spit muzzle soon enough."

Felicity's eyes bulged in shock, before she heard an embarrassed whimper from Ash. She turned to see him pulling his legs up into his arms, his lower jaw pulled back so his front teeth slipped over his lip and his ears folded back. She tilted her head a bit at the odd expression, especially as he briefly made eye contact before snapping his head away, pulling everything further back or closer in.

"I apologise for any hurt feelings," Catano spoke, slowly and levelling, looking at them. "But we have to explore every avenue and possibility. I don't think we have any further questions."

"No, we do not," Oates spoke plainly.

"And I have none that I can say in front of my son," Felicity spoke as she got up, a paw going onto Ash's shoulder. He flinched a little, jittering away nervously before breathing in and out, composing himself. She silently guided him out, expecting him to jump into her arms as soon as they left.

Instead he seemed to want to maintain a small distance, something that continued until they reached a bathroom. "Can I just have a moment," he spoke, slowly and plainly.

Felicity nodded, leaving him as he slipped in and going back to the room to tell the others. She kept it plain and she kept it quick, Nick especially wincing near the end.

"I admit, it's hard when you're on this end," Judy spoke. She was slumped down, face in paws and ears drooping down in front. "They were trying to make the suspect trip up. I'm afraid I've done it before to different perps. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it wasn't you who did it," Felicity said.

"I know, but had we not known you then it would have been, I…"

"-You'd have been more tactful," Nick said.

"So, a worse cop."

He pulled back. "No… A different kind of cop."

Judy sighed, looking up at him. "Listen Nick. Given their records, Ash doing it out of jealousy to bring Kris down makes sense if you don't know them. If I didn't know them and read that up, it would be a possibility. Then guess what, I'd try and make him trip up or get so scared he'd fess it out too. I'd hurt him and you too…"

There was a clearing of a throat from the other side of the room, everyone turning to see the newest pair to make everyone's acquaintance. Haida and Retsuko had largely been silent throughout everything, they had the least stake in it all, but the hyena seemed to have something to say. "So, in that case that's what would happen. But it's not what happened, is it? Even then, those cops were talking to Ash for a little bit and they probably ruled him out. Same for Kris. That then gets them closer to the real guy. I mean it totally sucks, but it just sucks for a moment, then fixes things long term."

"-And I know certain mammals who are jerks a lot of the time but can have a soft side when the cards come down," Retsuko added. "Sometimes you have to put up a face or something for work. That doesn't make you a bad person. That's just reality."

Judy paused, thinking for a second or two. "Yeah, but I'm not sure Mrs Fox and Ash would forgive me," she said, looking straight into the eyes of the vixen in question. A vixen who had had time to cool down.

She paused, thinking for a moment, before speaking. "I suppose this whole event can be written off as ugly but necessary. As long as those officers are sincere in their apology once it's all cleared up, then I could see myself letting them off."

"Well, you're very forgiving," Judy spoke, as she then looked straight into her eyes, her paws going over her heart. "But I promise that we'll help. That's what we do at the ZPD, that's what I do. It's why I joined, to help all mammals, including ones like you. And I promise I'll do everything I can to make things right."

Felicity felt touched and nodded. "Thank you very much. We'll all pull together. It's what you do when others are trying to pull you apart."

"That's one way of putting it," Nick commented, a slight smile on his muzzle.

Jack nodded along. "I most enjoyed the subdued irony in that statement."

There was a nod of agreement from Haida. "That sounds good," he spoke, before turning to Felicity. "Letting them apologise sounds fair. After all, no permanent damage done, right?"

"Right," she said, only for that word to trail off at the end. After all, with how Ash was and… -No! That was silly. He was strong, he was fine, he was taking an awful long time in the bathroom, wasn't he? She paused, a sudden terrible chill gathering on her. If the men's room was anything like the women's, then the cubicles might have doors with a lintel going over the top. A lintel you could tie something on and around, like Ash's hoodie. Which you could form into a noose or something, or why even bother with that when he might slip and start biting again! He'd been so rattled then, that might have set him off, and he'd been alone for so long, longer than if he needed the toilet, what if… The others were noticing it now, but she didn't care, she was getting up. Her husband had seen it but she had to get past him, the second or two it took to explain might be a second or two too late. She might lose him. Oh god, her little kit. She couldn't lose him, she had to get out, around the door and…

"Mom?"

She froze, seeing him walking the other way.

"Mom?" he asked again, his head tilting slightly, and she felt like she could faint from the relief. She heard her husband come around and hold her as her legs buckled, before she took a few deep breaths in. Her legs and back hurt a bit and she was out of breath, really not helped by her younger kit. Still, it was okay, her older kit was fine.

"Are you okay?" he asked, and that time, from him, it registered. She realised that her husband had been asking it too but she hadn't really noticed. She sniffed a little.

"You were just alone for a long time, I just got scared."

His eyes widened before he rushed forward, holding onto her tight. "I just wanted some alone time. I'm sorry."

"I just get worried," she sniffed. "It's okay." They returned to the main room and settled down. "You need to see your therapist," she ended up saying.

"I am seeing her."

"You need to see her more."

"That… that would be good," he agreed. They all waited there, tense and nervous, as the seconds and minutes ticked on, seeming like minutes and hours.

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* * *

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"Well," Catano spoke, huffing as she entered the office. She looked up at Bogo, a blank look on her muzzle. "I think you can agree that we pursued that with extreme prejudice."

Oates gave a snort, slumping down disdainfully. "I'm going to have to do a Wilde here and say that the only thing we managed with that was giving _them_ an extreme prejudice against us."

Looking at them, Chief Bogo rubbed his hoof against his head. "I can't blame you there, except for invoking the name of that fox. I hope it made you feel better."

"Can't say it did."

"Then please refrain from any more of that in the future," the Chief said, sitting down and reviewing his notes again.

"Will do, sir," the horse noted, before giving another equine snort. "Anyway, where now, as that was a waste of time."

"It was a long shot," Catano said. "It would need for him to be the perp and for him to trip up."

"Indeed," the Chief agreed. "You pulled every trick you could. From hounding him to that clever little thing about the pellets 'staining' and needing wipes. Given that he could have said that he saw his cousin with baby wipes or stuff then, I don't think he deliberately tried to set him up."

"-Unless he's now having second thoughts," Oates pointed out. "That or he's familiar with them and knew it was a trap. Still, this could have been him not meaning to do it."

"Or a third party," Catano pointed out.

"Yes, but who?" the horse countered.

"Or the mammal who we actually found the howlers with," Bogo spoke, the pair turning to him. "After all, he's the one we have the most evidence on."

"Well," Oates began. "I think that's a matter of dispute."

"Or a matter of a third party trying to confuse us further," Catano suggested, shrugging. "If that was his aim, it's worked, and if he wanted to hurt both foxes he certainly succeeded."

Bogo was quiet for a bit before standing up. "Whatever the case, we do have to deal with those young foxes, and given that they are young things are trickier. Even if our DA wanted to charge the Silverfox kit now, him getting off would be a near certainty as soon as we share our evidence with the defence. He'd need more stuff and solid stuff but, until then, we'll have to let them go."

"We're allowed to monitor him though, aren't we?" Oates asked.

Bogo paused. "If he was suspected in a violent crime or we were actually charging him, a judge could write it off pretty easily. However, this is a bit more complex."

"I guess you'll just have to ask a judge and see what they think," Catano said, shrugging.

Bogo nodded, and agreed. "You'd better tell the suspect then."

She nodded, getting up to go out, only to be stopped as there was a knock on the door. All three paused, turning to look at it, as the Chief told whoever it was to come in. Nick Wilde entered. "Officer Wilde, I do believe you're off this case," he spoke, a deep unspoken warning to his words.

The fox nodded. "I know that sir, but that doesn't mean I can't be a character witness." He looked over to Catano and Oates, sighing slightly. "Listen, I know you're doing your jobs and you don't want one of your own giving you the morality lecture. That's why I'll point something out to you. You think Ash set Kris up with the howlers, right? Not sure how you worked that out, other than the notes from when Hopps and I first met him, but that doesn't matter now. A few days ago I was at the baby shower for his mother. Tons of friends, family, all sorts there, and during it his father announced that Ash had finished a comic he'd been working on; he sells it to one of the pulp magazines, you should try them sometime. Anyhow, Ash had originally put his heart and soul into writing these comics, so he could say he was good at one thing. He entered them into the open competition on the advice of an art teacher, but that same teacher also suggested the same thing to his cousin. Neither knew the other was entering it until they, post-announcement, dropped Ash's comic for Kris' late entry. That was what drove him over the edge back then. Anyhow, afterwards as part of their reconciliation they began collaborating on a joint comic, pooling their ideas and skills and whatever. So anyway, his father announces that he, just he, has completed it. If Ash was still jealous, if Ash still hated or resented his cousin, if Ash had even a smidgen of what was needed to plant night howlers in his locker, then he'd of happily hogged all that glory then and there, right?"

There was a long pause, the cheetah officer and horse detective slowly nodding their heads in agreement.

"Instead, completely unprompted, he told everyone in the room that his cousin had done half the work, letting them give him the applause too. I don't think Ash did any of that, which isn't to say Kris did either. He's one of the most kind and mature kids I know, and I think you know it too, why else would you begin to think that someone else, such as his cousin, did this? Well, you're part right there. Someone other than Kris did do this, but it wasn't Ash." There was a long pause, then a sigh. "I'll let myself out now, but please remember that I know these kits. I really do. It isn't them."

There was a long pause, before Catano nodded. "Your input is appreciated."

"Thanks," Nick said, before seeing himself out. The door closed behind him, silence filled the room, before Catano's face sank into her paws.

"Dammit, I want to tell him…"

"Well the laws say that we can't, so you won't," Bogo muttered as he grabbed the phone. Catano and Oates left the room, moving over to look over their thin case files again. Five minutes later, the Chief came in, and all three headed out.

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* * *

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Kris was calm.

That didn't mean he wasn't nervous though.

After the two officers had left, he'd been filled in on the laws and regulations that covered him. Being a youth in Zootopia meant that he was fairly well protected. They couldn't hold him in jail without a firm conviction, and even then it had to be a major one. Apparently, if he was found guilty of this, he'd be sent to a reform school due to possession of a controlled substance. It meant he'd have his own clothes, his own room, the chance to go out on different nights or spend weekends or even holidays away depending on his behaviour. However, that still felt like cold comfort. He'd be seeing his friends and family far less, he'd miss them. He'd miss his friends and his school and his father.

He'd been meditating to keep calm but even he could have too much of a good thing; he'd broken off a while back and was sitting down in subdued silence, holding his dad's paw. There wasn't much to say, just a long time to wait. A time period that was broken off as the door was opened, the two policemen from earlier walking in. The cheetah cop sat herself down and spoke. "I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that we will be letting you go. The bad news though is that you're still a mammal of interest, so you'll have to wear a tracker."

Kris heard his lawyer grumble and he knew why. Due to the same laws as before, they couldn't keep him in jail and, if they were to charge him, they'd have to hold his trial within one month. Of course, they didn't have enough evidence for it. As a result, they were using a stopgap order, made for situations like this. He'd wear a tracker for up to six months, though his life could go on as normal as they worked on finding more evidence. Whether they were ready or not, at the end of that they had to take it off.

-Still, it meant he was going home. Kris was happy for that. He'd hoped that things would work themselves out, there were good mammals and fair rules in place after all, and he could cope with wearing something around his ankle while they fixed what was left to fix. His lawyer put up a little fuss, but he nodded and walked on, sitting down at a desk as he was presented with a few forms to read and sign, before the item itself was taken out. Locked on around his leg, he noted that it was fairly conspicuous and was an odd weight. Then again, it wasn't as noticeable to his school friends as what happened this morning. He…

He paused, his ears going back in concern. "I'll be allowed back to school, won't I?"

"Ash has the rest of the week off if he wants, so will you," his father said. "I can arrange a meeting with the head, and we'll go from there."

"Okay then," Kris noted, crossing his fingers. It was a worry on his mind, but that and anything else was swept away as they began walking out of the precinct. He'd been confined for a few hours at most but, as he walked out, a great feeling of hope was lifting up inside of him. He was getting out. They turned a corner, and walked up to a door, his father opening it to reveal the rest of his family.

"Kris!"

The silver fox couldn't help but smile as his cousin saw him, relief etched into his face. "I did say I'd be okay," he replied back, before his aunt came up and glomped him in a huge hug.

"Oh thank heavens you're okay," she said.

"Yeah," he said, relaxing.

"You good, Kris?" his uncle asked, as he nodded back, slowly breaking away from his aunt to look around. He smiled as he saw Nick and Judy there too, giving them a wave.

"Thanks for coming."

"Hey, no problem," Nick said with a smile. "You know, if you wanted a VIP tour, you just had to ask."

He chuckled at that one, before looking on at the rest of the crowd. Skye and Jack were there, as was a red panda who he didn't know. There was also a large hyena, who was ringing a lot of bells. Kris' head tilted ever so slightly as he thought before his eyes widened, the hyena's half-lidding in response. "Hey, I know you…"

The hyena flicked up his paw, a carrot pen held within. With a flick of his claw, he pressed the play button. '_Okay, let me stop you right there. Yes, I look very similar to a certain line of stuffed toys. No, that isn't a coincidence. I've just found out my 'sister' designed them and sold the rights for a graduate job about a decade ago. Yes, it is awkward. No, I don't know what I'm going to do next. It will be ugly.'_

Kris blinked. "Oh, okay then. I was actually going to say that we met on a bus ages ago."

His gloomy mood lifted. "Yeah. Hi there, again. I'm Haida, Retsuko and I were out with Nick and Judy when we got the call."

"Well, thanks for coming around," he said, shaking his paw.

"Thanks, to all of you, for coming around," his father spoke, as he took them all in. "This has been a horrible morning for all of us, but thank you for coming in and helping. Currently they'll be monitoring Kris with an ankle tracker but, hopefully, they'll get to the root of this soon."

"Yeah," Kris agreed, looking up and smiling.

"Come on, son. Let's go home."

The sentiment seemed to be shared with everyone as they began filing out. Kris felt happy as he walked away, things were still bad but he'd held strong and the worst was over. It would be getting better from here for everyone.

"-Hey," Ash began, Kris turning to look at him. "You seriously didn't recognise him from the plush at the baby shower. Or the one my therapist has?"

"I did. I just thought it would be nicer not to bring it up."

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "I wouldn't like to be his sister now. Imagine having a sibling like that."

Kris briefly thought about joking about having a cousin like that, but he decided not to. Sure, there had been a few snickered out rumours that he had fleas or worms, which may or may not have come from his once angry cousin (after all, there was a chipmunk in his class who could have easily contributed as well). But that was long past, and he felt no reason to bring up bad stuff from then now. They were walking out into the lobby now, the sun filled doors to the outside just ahead. He couldn't wait to get out, he could feel the sun already. He didn't even mind the tracker that much. This was all about to be over; he was going to avoid that.

"-Stop right there!"

They all did, turning to see a shocked looking hippo exiting out of the water entrance. Lumbering out, opening his arms as the dryer removed the clinging water from his skin and suit, he kept his eyes fixed straight at Kris, the young silver fox backing off ever so slightly.

"-Mr Wassermaim…" came the voice of the Chief, walking out.

"That's District Attorney Wassermaim," he boasted, before taking on an ever so slightly more-righteous-than-thou tone in his voice. "Do your officers call you Mr Bogo?"

"My apologies, District Attorney," he spoke. "Please tell me why you're here?"

He paused, then let an exceptionally proud smile grow across his face. "I'm here to do what you're not doing, keeping the people of my city safe by making sure a certain dangerous terrorist does not go free." He crossed his arms and gave a solid nod, his gaze briefly flicking over to stare down Kris.

The young silver fox felt a shiver run down his spine and to the tip of his tail as the megafauna smiled as if he'd just won the argument. Their eyes meeting, he couldn't help but notice his grin turn ever so slightly predatory.

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**AN: Questions: First, would any of you like named chapters for this fic/episode?**

**Secondly, and more seriously, the cast will be getting quite large going on, and quite referential to other works. If any of you would like me to do another cast list (an old one, relevant at the end of Aggretopia, is included in one of the drabbles), then just say, and I'll do it.**


	49. An Anonymous Vulpine 5 (and cast list)

**Chapter 5**

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**AN: Welcome back guys for the next chapter, plus a new cast list to help everyone out. After all, this is now my longest fic, and my first to break the 300K mark! So I'm pretty sure a little help wouldn't harm anyone.**

**It's hard to believe that it's friday again, already… Being furloughed has done strange things to my understanding of time.**

**Thought for the day: Mondays are a social construct.**

**Question for the day: does that invalidate Garfield?**

**I hope quarantine is still going fine for you. Follow the rules, stay safe, be sensible and listen to advice, etc. **

**Seriously, do it. **

**And (quote-unquote) enjoy the chapter.**

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Bogo frowned, his arms crossing as he stared at the newly arrived hippo. "Mr Wassermaim…"

"-That's _District Attorney_ Wassermaim, Chief Bogo," he interrupted, his loud voice beckoning out through the ZPD atrium. The mammals in the crowd paused, glancing at each other nervously, their fur on end as they sensed that something was about to go down. Nick and Judy stepped forward, William put a paw on Kris, a nervous Retsuko brought up her phone while the District Attorney spoke on. "We just went over this, and being a professional I'd of at least hoped that you'd have kept your petty bias' under wraps. Anyway, if you're done disrespecting me…"

Bogo huffed. "In terms of keeping things professional and your bias' under wraps, I do not think that you're one to talk. Regardless…"

"-Oh, because you'd treat someone like the Mayor with the same level of disrespect you've given me then, Chief?"

"District Attorney," Bogo said, not enjoying it. "My comments were in regard to you marching into the middle of the Precinct and shouting out at the top of your lungs to a group of civilians!"

"Yes, 'civilians'," the hippo noted, before letting his gaze turn and land once more on Kris. The silver fox knew the story behind him, he read the papers in the school library here and there and his name had come up a number of times. His interest piqued, he'd then looked him up further, using a mix of official sources, blogs and EweTube videos. It hadn't taken long to get the full context as to who DA Kurt Wassermaim was, why he was controversial and why that was bad news for him.

Originally a high ranking member of the District Attorney's office, he'd largely kept himself out of the limelight before the Nighthowler Crisis hit, with the exception of a long series of failed cases against Lemming Brothers Bank CEO Murana Wolford and some critical analysis by a few journalists and EweTubers, most notably a fox called Anton Pounceheart. That changed when the predators began turning savage. He'd firmly stood up and stated that the savage predators would be tried if and when that was possible and he wasn't going to hold back. That by itself was notable, but not enough to really make most mammals take notice. Pounceheart began ramping up his investigations, both on the DA and the wider 'recidivism crisis' as he put it, which he was putting down to the contaminated food theory. He also briefly joined up with another (overtly Ovinophobic) EweTuber called 'Gruinard Gal', before dropping her after what Kris thought was an uncomfortably long period of time.

What truly made Wassermaim's name though was that, a few weeks into the crisis, the old DA resigned and it was Kurt, not the expected favourite Jeannette Deaux, who got the job. It was then that mammals began paying attention, especially as he began putting a lot of focus into 'keeping the peace'. Many protestors and petty criminals began seeing far more of a spotlight put onto them, and it didn't take long for mammals (first amongst them Pounceheart, who was claiming that an institutional anti-pred conspiracy was going on at this point) to notice that the bulk of the affected mammals were preds.

Questions had begun mounting, especially after a student sit-in protest at an elephant owned ice cream store, one rumoured to often turn away predators, was clamped down on hard. Three dozen or so mammals were charged with multiple counts of trespass and breaching the peace. As if to top it off, their court dates were set slap bang in the middle of exam season, many of them forced to miss their tests with the potential requirement to retake the entire year (though, after much fuss was kicked up, the universities in question allowed the students to have their exams at different dates). Pounceheart himself covered their trials and reported from outside, arguing that it was a precedent for the criminalisation of pro-pred protests, only to be publicly arrested himself (later confirmed to be by one of Dawn's police rams) and charged with disturbing the peace by the DA.

This, the comparatively light treatment of anti-pred protesters, the 'anti-savage' rhetoric and the promotion itself (given that ADA Deaux, though a white-tailed deer, was in a relationship with a mountain lion) began raising questions. Bellwether's only remark was that it was a scary time for all mammals and that most Zootopians felt safer knowing that there was someone out there trying to preserve what peace and justice they could in those trying times. Wassermaim meanwhile had got an interview of his own.

Kris, curious to verify this, had looked up that TV interview on EweTube one night and watched as Wassermaim justified himself, talking at long length about the terrified, mutilated, savaged victims filling up the hospitals and how they deserved justice and closure. He mentioned how ordinary mammals, especially small and vulnerable ones, were terrified at how things were going so wrong, and that clamping down hard in other areas, against petty criminals, opportunistic rabble-rousers and anti-establishment 'professional' protestors, was needed to help keep everyone strong and focussed on 'the true dangerous issue at paw'. This was potentially an infectious disease, and all these mammals were making it more likely to spread and upping the danger for everyone. They needed to be kept home for the safety of others, and if that failed then jail would do.

The interviewer had then commented on the fairness of planning to charge the afflicted predators, especially if it was a disease, and how this and everything else might point to a worrying bias. The hippo immediately took the offensive. He'd called the reporter out on air, saying that if anyone was a speciesist it was him. After all, 'those savage preds' could mutilate both their own kind and prey, making no distinction. He was the one inferring that this was a pred and prey issue and, by his own logic, he was saying that prey were not deserving of justice and closure. If it really was a disease, then they could just get off on insanity, couldn't they?

Much of the talk had gone on like that, Wassermaim denying any biases and then turning any accusations around, claiming that he himself was the one striving to keep things fair. He said that if the afflicted predators truly didn't have any part in this, then they could plead insanity like any other mammal. Just because they were preds didn't mean they were above the purview of the law.

Said interview was then dissected and analysed by Pounceheart, who stated that at this point full on active resistance to the conspiracy was required. Any idea that it was instinct or even a disease was fake news and mammals should break any curfews, stay at home orders or even 'crisis normalisation' advice to wear face masks and such. Indeed, he argued that masks (which some stores were requiring predators to wear) were just a stepping stone for laws that forced predators to muzzle themselves out in public, and that preds must actively refuse to wear them, call out those who did and protest places that required them. All on top of gathering in the streets to protest, organising into groups to resist and stopping those in charge from taking their freedom.

Of course, not long after, the truth behind the savage cases had come out. In a statement, Wassermaim had quietly said that the predators would not be facing any charges, before taking on Bellwether's case himself. He'd made a lot of noise about that, as well as with a sweeping set of anti-corruption and anti-espionage stings; all to convince mammals that he was not Dawn's puppet, but instead an independent striver for justice, regardless of any mammal's species. He'd even boasted about how he had no qualms about 'going against his own', pushing heavily for the arrest of another hippo for espionage and insider trading (not that the case ever went anywhere, just like his latest one against Murana Wolford).

Still, most mammals weren't convinced, including Kris. Pounceheart became one of the most popular EweTubers in the city after he'd called it (alongside Gruinard Gal too, who specifically pinned it on Dawn and other sheep from the start). He'd led a major protest march following the reveal, and had carried on in his reporting in campaigns after that, primarily for the purging of any prey potentially connected to the plot from state institutions.

The general view though was that Wassermaim would finish off his first term which would then not be renewed, letting him swap positions with ADA Deaux as she became the new DA. But, for the time being, he stayed in his position, with all the power it entailed. And now the silver fox was standing there, in Kurt's crosshairs, the hippo pulling the exact same tactics that the vulpine had seen him use before.

"Of course," he carried on. "One of those civilians is a terrorist, and we don't want him escaping back out into the general population, do we?"

"Wass… -DA, we've investigated this case and, while it's true that a certain anonymous vulpine was found with nighthowler pellets in his locker, that proves nothing."

"Well, it does prove that he had night howlers, a certain dangerous bioweapon, in his paws, doesn't it? I mean, weren't you looking for them for the last few months? Didn't you send a warning out to the entire city? I mean, the people must have all been terribly worried, I was. And now you're letting the prime suspect just walk?"

Bogo huffed. "He is not our prime suspect."

"Oh, then who is? Which mammal who didn't have night howlers in his locker is it?"

"Listen, this case is very complicated, and so is the case of our prime suspect." Bogo began, before pausing. He briefly glanced over to the crowd, Kris at first thinking he was looking at him but then realising his gaze was a bit off, more in the area of his aunt, uncle and cousin. He quickly snapped out of it and looked at the hippo. "The mammal known as Kazar is the core suspect behind this incident, with these howlers just the wreckage from the wreck we made of his plans. We don't know why it's turned up here, we don't have enough evidence to pin anything firm on anyone."

"Well you've got the mammal with the howlers in his locker."

"-Which doesn't legally prove beyond reasonable doubt that he put them there or is responsible, you know that just as well as I do," Bogo spoke. "Either way, even if we were charging him right away, we'd still be sticking a tracker onto him and letting him out, as we're doing here."

"Yes, because terrorists are well known for following the law," Wassermaim spoke. "You do realise that he could have more of those things out there? You do realise that he could cut his tracker off, fish them out alongside a pea shooter and, after finding a bunch of innocent elephants, cause hundreds of deaths before you even catch up with him?"

There was a pause, Bogo grinding his teeth. "Having actually witnessed his interview, I can say that this mammal does not appear to be the kind who'd do that."

"And what kind would?" Wassermaim asked, his voice rising a little. Kris couldn't help but note that Bogo had started digging himself a hole, and the only reason the hippo wasn't burying him yet was because he wanted to see how far the Chief could dig himself in.

"I… You know what I mean!"

"No I don't. Tell me, in your own words, what do you mean?"

"Angry. Hostile. Combative. Comes from a background that would support such views."

"Oh, and what background is that?"

"The ones which traditionally held more speciesist viewpoints. Ones which include someone slighted or hurt by a predator in their past, or who gains from the hurting of predators."

"-So, prey then?"

The Chief paused, trying to think of something smart to say but then furrowing his brow, gazing hard at the hippo. "Well yes, of course prey. Because why would a predator be interested in the movement of a bioweapon used to hurt his own kind? Things would make more sense if he was the kind of mammal that Kazar or Dawn Bellwether would hire, or…"

"-So, sheep then," Wassermaim stated, having let Bogo dig to where he wanted and finally pouncing.

"Well…"

"-There's no well about it, Dawn Bellwether's cohorts were sheep and so when you go looking for night howlers you look for sheep. Good to hear that the Chief is happy to keep new-school ovinophobia alive. Though who knows, maybe there's a bit of old school in there too? Never mind that there are hundreds of other things that those howlers could be used for; no, it's for subjugating the poor innocent predators, the victims in this. And, when a predator is caught with them? Well then, it all must be some mistake. A predator would never do anything evil with them, would they? It's not like, say, if a teenage ram from the poorer parts of the Meadowlands was here; you'd be taking every precaution against him, probably begging me to do what I could to keep him under your thumb."

Bogo groaned. "Species has nothing to do with this…"

Wassermaim laughed. "Says the mammal who just said, and I quote, 'the kind of mammals Kazar and Bellwether would hire'. We all know what you mean by that, don't we?"

"-A ram or a donkey or even a hippo would all be treated the same as a wolf or a fox…"

"Yeah…" he said, rolling his eyes and nodding. "They would, wouldn't they?"

Bogo's gaze hardened. "Yes they would. You know why? Because, if they're underage like our suspect here, they'd all be subject to the Youth Justice Acts. That means we can't hold them, we can't give them a trial far in the future as we look for evidence, the best we can do is stick a tracker on them as we try and find if there's a case or not. That's why our anonymous vulpine, or any other anonymous teenager – pred _or_ prey – would be walking out of those doors right now and there is nothing you can do to stop it."

There was a pause, Kris looking on and gulping as a huge smug grin began growing over Wassermaim's face. He suddenly felt nervous, and sidestepped over to his father to hold his paw. He had a feeling this wasn't going to be good.

Kurt spoke. "There is, and I'm using it, just like I did against Kazar and his cronies. I'm charging our suspect under the Nighthowler Act. I'm sure you're all aware of that."

There was a gasp from Kris' left, and he turned to see Nick and Judy looking aghast. The bunny's ears had collapsed against the back of her head, her paws covering her mouth and her eyes wide. Nick's jaw meanwhile was doing its damn near hardest to hit the floor, his shocked gape almost comical. Kris didn't know why, neither did the rest of his family or the bunny-fox duo's other friends. But their fears were beginning to spread into the others, if anything only magnified by their ignorance.

Even Bogo seemed shocked for a little bit, something he quickly shook off. "Don't be ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous about it," he said with a shrug. "I'm using a bit of legislation as it was intended to be used."

"You know full well that this was not how it was intended to be used!"

"Oh right, I forgot. It was intended to be used against prey, read sheep."

"Stop being obtuse!" Bogo shouted. "That piece of anti-terror legislation was made to be used against adults. Using it against a youth suspect, with limited evidence against him as is, is pure pettiness and cruelty on your part."

"So you think it's cruel to try and keep mammals safe? Right then. I, meanwhile, don't believe that there's anything in there that says it can't be used in this way. Indeed, were it an ugly looking sheep teen that was brought in, you'd be phoning up and begging me to pull it…"

"-No I would not," Bogo spoke. "Do not put these things into my mouth. I would never use this against any youth suspect."

"-Use what!?" came a shout, as all eyes turned on Dr Silverfox, fear etched onto his face. "Use what? What is this Night Howler Act?! You keep on talking about this horrible thing that you want to use on my son and I don't even know what it is."

"Well," Wassermaim spoke, turning to face him and smiling. "I'm glad you asked." He reached into the inside of his suit and pulled down a small lever, a firm click sounding out as a waterproof seal opened up. From it, he pulled out a large plastic file, opening its waterproof seal to pull out a set of documents. "As I actually treat all bioterrorists equally, I did a lot of reading into the Kazar case and the interrogation that took place. In the words of Detective Oates: '_Are you aware of the Nighthowler Act? __After the first crisis, and with the reasonable expectation that natural howlers would still be in use as pest control, it was decided to clamp down on anyone caught with refined ones. After all, their only real use is as bioweapons. So, if one was to be found with some, it's safe to assume that you're a bioterrorist….'"_ He paused, looking straight at Kris and raising an eyebrow. "Now, a bit of an interjection from the lawyer here, and the next part is Oates talking to said lawyer in regard to the suspect. I'll talk to the Chief and the suspect's father instead. '_Under the act we get to hold him for four weeks until having to formally press charges, due to his connection to the refined plants. Then, we have the right to hold you without bail until your trial, up to six months. While this is going on, we are instructed to hold you in the securest facilities. Aka, a full on maximum security prison, the type where your little sheep friends are not having a good time_.'"

.

…

"Mam," Kurt said, finally breaking the dreadful silence that had filled the room. "You guys really hate sheep."

"N-Never mind that," William gasped, almost fox-screaming as he trembled in place. His shout broke Kris, who'd been in a stunned and shocked silence, out of his stupor just in time for him to be grabbed and held tightly against his father's chest with a vice like grip. "This… This is my son. My kit! You can't do this! You can't!" He sobbed, holding Kris tighter just as what had been said hit the young fox like a freight train. They were going to send him away to one of those schools…! Six months until he even got a trial…? He… He closed his eyes and began breathing in and out. This couldn't be right, right…? No, he had to keep calm, he wasn't going to be taken from his dad again. There were good mammals on his side, they'd find a way out. Everything was going to be okay. His dad was scared, so he needed to be strong for him, but he could do that. Everything was going to be okay!

Kurt observed them before glancing back to Bogo. "So, the suspect was raised by a speciesist; another tick on your list, Chief."

"Oh that's petty and you know it!"

"What, is being concerned about ovinophobia petty now? I thought all mammals and all discrimination are equal. Or is ovinophobia, especially the seemingly institutional stuff in your department, 'not a real' type of speciesism?"

"NO!" Bogo shouted. "What is being petty is telling a father, who from what I gather was separated from his son for a long time due to illness, that you're going to send that son away to prison for months. Then making a joke about something someone said a month ago, taken well out of context. THEN, when that terrified father tells you he doesn't care about that joke, going around and accusing him of being a speciesist. And all of that coming from someone who I think we all know has a certain infamy about him and is probably the most speciesist out here by far. No matter what you say, I know that you're pulling this against that kit because he's a predator, because he's a fox, because you can't wait to get your own back against those who defeated your original bosses evil scheme!"

There was a long pause, before Kurt put his fists onto his hips. "Yup! If in doubt, accuse me of being a speciesist! No, an antivulpite! And being wrapped up in Dawn Bellwether's stuff too. Because wanting to keep the mammals out there safe from another howler plot, wanting to treat all species as equal in front of the law, holding a fox to the same standard of a sheep is _soooo_ evil, isn't it? It's very rich coming from someone who said a bunch of ovinophobic stuff earlier, while I don't think I've said anything antivulpistic. Though of course in your worldview a claim of me being guilty of antivulpanism is far more terrible than any institutional ovinophobia on your part, as you believe that foxes are victims and sheep the oppressors, so it's all for the greater good."

"Listen," Bogo seethed. "Actions speak louder than words…"

He was cut off, not by Wassermaim but by Nick, the fox marching out with his arms outstretched. "Woah, woah, woah… Calm down Chief, it's already dead."

"Ah, see, a fox who shares my views," Wassermaim said, exceedingly smugly.

"Yeaahhhh, no," Nick spoke, his brow furrowing as he glared up at the much larger mammal. It was like David staring up at Goliath, yet he remained unphased. "Listen, I don't like you just as much as the Chief doesn't, but I think I've had enough of him digging his own grave while you supply the shovels. Right, first off, you think he's favouring foxes over other mammals? Do you know what he said when he first saw me, when Lionheart's wolves had taken Manchas and Hopps tried to use me as a witness to what had happened?" The expression on the hippo was unreadable, while that on the Chief had changed to one that someone would give when the crap was about to hit the fan. He almost looked ready to step in and stop Nick, only holding back to some hope that the fox had one of his genius schemes up his sleeves.

"No, I do not."

"'_You really think I'd believe a fox?_'"

The DA burst into laughter, eyes focussed on Bogo while Nick kept a straight face. "I mean, most of the time he looks like he can't stand me. Case in point right now."

"Yeah," Kurt agreed, keeping his eyes on the glaring Chief. "I can totally see that. Your point being?"

"My point being that if he's really going to give favouritism to any species, you really think it'll be foxes? No, that's not the case. Of course, that doesn't matter to you. What matters is that, for whatever reason, you want that fox in jail. Except you can't have him in jail, nobody can, because, as the Chief should have said from the get go, the youth laws state that he can't be sent away and they override the Nighthowler Act!"

"Yeah… No they don't," Wassermaim said. "The Nighthowler Act says that any criminal caught with the howlers gets the treatment."

"Which is funny, as the Youth Act pertains to any youth."

"Yeah, but not in, and I quote, '_truly exceptional circumstances where the public is at great risk of harm_.' I think possession of bioweapons, with the risk of having some further out there, sort of meets that definition."

"And, is this incident legally defined as an 'exceptional event'?" Nick asked smugly. "Until you can prove it, then it isn't, so my little friend here goes free!"

Wassermaim paused, breathing in and out before shrugging, a subdued glare levelled at the fox at his feet. "Okay then. If you're playing hardball then so will I. In the name of protecting all the innocent mammals out there from their worst nightmare, I'll take this to the Chief Justice right now and let him decide."

Nick breathed in and out. "So be it," he said, keeping his voice level. "If the judge lets him go, he's let go. If not, he gets sent to one of the reform schools until his trial." There was a pause, as his voice darkened. "I do hope you'll give him the courtesy of giving him a fast one."

There was another pause, Wassermaim folding his arms and looking down, his eyes ever so slightly narrowing. "Actually, I'll be giving the ZPD and my prosecutors as long as I can to investigate this vitally important case and get all the evidence they need to build a good argument. I tend to think that you can't rush good justice!"

Nick's lips pulled back into a slight snarl, though he kept silent as he walked away from the hippo, not giving him a chance to get back in. Returning to the group, he couldn't help but let his heart sink as he saw the rest of his friends. Those less connected, Haida, Retusko, Skye and Jack, were all nervous and concerned; Judy looked heartbroken, shattered by the fact that she could do nothing against this potential injustice; Mr Fox and Mrs Fox had looks of ice cold rage on their face, as if they were just swearing a blood vendetta against the DA, and Ash looked shattered, holding onto his mother's paw while staring forlornly at his cousin and uncle. Dr Silverfox's eyes were misting up, and he held onto his son like a castaway to a piece of driftwood.

And Kris…

He was putting on a brave face, and that hurt Nick the most, as the young fox was trying so hard to not let them see that they were getting to him. But Nick looked into those blue eyes and he knew that, deep down, they were. Oh boy, they were.

"Oh, and by the way," Wassermaim said, as he began lumbering out. "The law says that he's to be kept in the most secure facility possible." He turned and looked at them, and Nick felt his rage at that mammal grow and burn like an inferno as he saw his smile. It wasn't a smile at a job well done, it wasn't a smile born from winning a point against the 'other team' or even one born from a bit of petty schadenfreude. It was the smile he remembered seeing when he was eight, from a very familiar looking chipmunk as he rammed a muzzle onto his snout. It was a smile a mammal gave when he was sticking a knife in and twisting it, quite simply enjoying the pain and suffering it caused. "A reform school just won't do. It said maximum security prison, and that's what I'm going for, cells, uniforms and all."

"-No!" came a shout, as he looked over at Judy, the bunny finally finding her voice. "You're just abusing and twisting a bad law as is to make him suffer. You're not the good guy here."

There was a pause, before he laughed, Nick getting a terrible sinking feeling as that horrible grin was turned up to eleven. "Interesting," he said, as if contemplating it. He opened out his notes and looked through them. "Back then, in the annotations, it says here, and I quote: '_I happen to quite like this law.'_ Said by one Judy Hopps. I'm glad we can agree on that."

And with that he left, Bogo and the rest of them left standing. Judy looked broken, just broken, holding herself tight as Nick dashed over to hold her. She whimpered out a bit, sniffing. "Oh god, oh god…"

"Don't listen to him," he told her. "Don't"

"Kris," she spoke, her voice breaking as she began crying. "I'm sorry… I'm so so sorry…"

Nick just held her tighter as she turned away in shame. He didn't know what to say, keeping his mouth shut until the cold silence was finally broken by Kris, a slight stutter to his voice as he spoke. "I-it's okay… T-the context was different. It's not your fault." He didn't sound like the peaceful fox who'd taught them meditation less than twenty four hours ago, he sounded weak and afraid. "I-if I get put away, will I be kept here then? In one of the cells?"

The pause was long and cold, before Bogo snapped to attention. "No. You can't stay here, we're an adult facility and any kit would have to be put in the isolation cells, which we legally can't do for more than three days! So he can't win there!" Nick couldn't help but note the look of victory on Bogo's face, as if he'd finally managed to checkmate the damn hippo.

"Then he'll just have to be sent to the reform school," he pointed out. "That's not much better."

Bogo paused and grunted, glaring back. "Well it's not much worse. It's something at least. He hasn't gotten everything he wanted, has he? I mean where else can he send him?"

They were all broken off by a horrible gasp, and turned to look at Ash, the young fox staring back at Nick. "Y-you know where, Nick. You said it yourself."

And then Nick felt his legs buckle and a shot of bile surge up his throat. He felt so shocked and horrid that a ghost of a muzzle began clawing around his mouth, trying to stop him from speaking, something he was barely able to do. "Oh… Yeah…"

He looked up to see everyone with the same scared look on their face. Everyone except Kris and his father. After all, they hadn't been there when he'd spoken.

"Where?" William finally asked. "W-Where…"

Nick felt his body tremble. "You don't want to know."

"I do! This my kit here, Nick. Whatever it is, however bad it is, tell me now!"

Nick closed his eyes, drawing up as much strength as he could manage. "Back when I was a teen, Zootopia moved away from old school juvies, delinquents instead going through the reform schools, community service and probation… But… But there are teens out there too dangerous or sick for that, ones who deserve to go behind actual bars… Murderers, rapists, serial escapers and delinquants. Zootopia still has one large high security juvenile prison, filled with the worst of the worst and… I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, but that's where."

.

.

* * *

.

.

Not longer after, the group had moved to the nearby central courthouse. Like before, they were all in a private waiting room, though unlike the one at the ZPD this one was cold and austere, very much fitting the mood. Jack, Skye, Haida and Retsuko, bystanding it all but with their fingers crossed, waited on a sofa off to one side, while Nick and Judy were close to the two fox families. Bogo stood there with them. There wasn't much to do, to say, to talk about.

They just waited, scared for what the future might bring when the decision was made.

The Chief, having walked out of the room for a bit, came back in. "It's under consideration. I gave my argument, Wassermaim gave his, _thankfully _not inferring any biases on my behalf." He paused, before sighing.

Judy looked on, nervously. "Which judges are looking at them? I mean, are they pro-predator, anti…"

"It wouldn't matter," Bogo remarked. "They don't even know if our suspect is predator or prey, male or female. All they know is that someone came in, and that the Nighthowler Act is vying for dominance against the Youth Justice Act. These are two laws that have never clashed before, nobody expected them to, and now they're working on a precedent."

"I…" Judy began, before sighing. "I don't know if that's good, or bad. I just hate myself right now for supporting that stupid law."

"Hopps," the Chief began. "Nobody is blaming you for this. At the time it was a very useful law…"

"-Which I supported," Judy said. "Which I thought was making the world a better place, only now it's not. Something I supported, something I trusted, has turned out to be bad, again. I've let it happen, again, and all it's done is hurt others." She sniffed a few times, before turning to Kris and his father. While he'd been using meditation to help pass most of the time, he'd been out of any trance since the news of the decision being close had arrived. He'd just sat there instead, caught in the dreadful tension, his future hanging in the balance. His father, meanwhile, was showing his emotions, holding his son tight against him as if this were the last time. Theoretically, Judy realised, it might be. That feeling gut punched her, while Ash seemed to have the same idea.

"If he's found guilty," he asked nervously, "how long could they keep him in prison for?"

Bogo looked down and away. "The Howler Act doesn't impose minimum sentences, but it advises sentencing with extreme prejudice. The max is twenty years, but the Youth Act imposes a maximum term.

"Which is?" William asked fearfully.

"The offenders age when being sentenced. So ten years for a ten year old, the minimum age a mammal here is held as criminally responsible, to… how old is your son?"

"Fourteen, but he'll be fifteen in five months," he said, the words almost catching in his mouth.

"So he may be facing fifteen years then," Bogo spoke, a gasp of fear running through the crowd.

"He'd be older than me," Retsuko said, looking sympathetically at the fox in question.

Judy did too, and she walked forward, paws out to grasp onto Kris'. She realised he was trembling slightly, and she wished, she dearly wished, she was providing him at least some comfort. "I promise," she said, looking into his eyes. "I promise, whatever happens, whether you go home today or you're sent away or they put you away for that long. I'll fight as hard as I can to make sure you are free." She broke off, sniffing, before looking up to Dr Silverfox, tears flowing from his eyes. "I promise, I'll fight for him."

"-I might not be there," he spoke, his voice hoarse and almost too quiet to make out. He shook and sniffed. "I might get ill again before they let him go, I might…"

"I swear!" Judy said resolutely, as he just embraced Kris harder and harder.

"Hopps," Bogo said. "Remember, you're off the case…"

"But…!"

He held up a hoof. "So there'll be some rules if you want to help them privately. One, you do it on your own time. You can book in your spare holiday days, Wilde can too. This upcoming week I will still call you in if needed, but after that you should be solidly available for helping them out. Two, you two do nothing that interferes with your regular duties or the ongoing investigation. Three, if you find evidence pointing towards his guilt, you _will_ give it to us. Even if you don't believe it or think something must be up. You can explain your theories about that when you hand it in. But if I find out you were sitting on it, then you'll be handing over your badges as well. Do you understand?"

There was a pause, before Judy stood up and saluted hard.

Bogo nodded. "I do wish there was more I could do to help you," he said, strolling up and looking into Judy's eyes. "But there's nothing I can legally tell you, not even an anonymous tip." There was a long awkward pause before his phone chimed. He pulled it out and put it back in again. "They're ready to give their decision. I'll see you shortly. Think about what I've just said." He paused, before looking over at Kris, sighing as he did so. "If you're to be taken away, I'll give you the courtesy of doing it myself. I suppose it's the least I could do."

And, with that, he nodded and left the room.

Everything was silent for a second or two, before Mr Fox spoke. "Okay, now that any serious enforcers of the law are gone, let's review the options. Option one, rapid unscheduled holiday break from the country." He turned to look at Skye. "Skye Autumn, _Vulpes Velox, _getaway driver, owner of a number of fast vehicles that…"

_SLAP_

He broke off, turning to his wife. "Foxy, _please _be serious here."

"I think you'll find I am being very serious. Serious enough to put all options on the table and…"

"-Listen, I'm sorry but we're not fleeing the country," Nick interrupted. "Even if we could run and get out, that would make all of us criminals. The ZPD would just call up the police stateside and we'd be caught. Even if we made it to Canidea, then they'd just call up the mounties and the same would happen. We have to face and fight it here, there's no other way."

"Well," he began. "Depending on the security measures in place where…"

"-No prison breaks either!"

Mr Fox paused, trying to work out what to do since all the logical solutions a stable mammal would come up with were ruled out, before looking back at Nick. "Well, what do you propose?"

He breathed in and out, before walking over to Judy. "I'll help look into this with you, Fluff. Heck, I'm sure you'll all help too," he said, looking at the Fox family. Their eyes narrowed.

"Yes will we," Mrs Fox said, Mr Fox nodding in agreement.

"We'll pull every trick, routine, technique, advantage and quote-unquote hustle that I can conceive of before I give in."

"Cuss yeah," Ash agreed, standing up and taking a breath in. He turned, walking over to Kris, the nervous fox looking up at him. He managed a weak smile.

"Thanks."

"It's what family does. What friends do. You're both, and you did it to me when I was just one of those to you. I'll be here for you, little cous'."

Kris managed a brief chuckle at that, but the cold nerves soon flowed back into him as he stared off into the middle distance. Still close to his father on one side, Ash came up close on the other.

"-Count me in too," came a surprising voice from the other side of the room. Nick and Judy turned, looking right at Jack. "What? It's doing more…"

Haida nodded. "Yeah. Retsy and I are thinking of becoming detectives, and if we're not going to protect an innocent kit, then what's the point?"

His girlfriend nodded. "We'll still be at work during the day, but we can lend you our nights."

Skye smiled, nodding. "Felicity, do you even need a response from me to know that I'm in too?"

"No. Thank you," she sniffed.

Meanwhile, Nick smiled and looked down at Judy. "Seems you won't be doing this all alone."

"No," she said, her voice picking up. She breathed in, held herself high, and briefed her new crew. "We'll fight, and we'll keep on fighting. If we can find the real culprit, heck, if we find something that proves it definitely wasn't Kris, then we win and he is free. That's our goal."

There was a round of cheers, though as they died down one mammal was going down a lot further. "But what if Wassermaim's stubborn?" Ash asked. "What if he ignores it, tries to keep it until a trial anyway? K… Kris might not go there for years, but he can still keep him there for the best part of one even if you do prove he didn't do it! It's… it's... It's just not fair!"

He almost yelled it out, before breaking off, huffing in and out. He glanced at Kris though and, with a deep breath in, tried to hold it together. Nick, meanwhile, had his ears and tail going down, his head soon finding itself in his paws. "Dammit, dammit…"

"Well if he doesn't, we could turn the public against him," Retsuko suggested.

"Okay," Nick asked. "How?"

She smiled, bringing out her phone. "Social media. Protests. All that. After all, Haida and I have one other mammal as part of our group, one who's a goddess with this stuff."

"Yeah," the hyena agreed. "Heck, Fenneko was probably born to do that, and to be our detective. I mean, she worked out who Kris was and found a picture of him on social media, just from me telling her about my meeting with him on that bus. She's that scary."

"Yeah," Nick said confidently, before frowning a little. "Okay, not sure if I'm ready or not to see the results of any drunken shipping I did last night, but I suppose meeting Finnick again after all this time will be… an event."

Judy looked over her army of helpers before turning around, paws to her heart as she looked at the two mammals she swore to help. She would put things right for them, she would work night and day to right this horrible wrong. She promised them then and there that she wouldn't stop trying, and she wouldn't know when to quit.

Kris, who, all this time, had been on a knife's edge between worry and fear and a self enforced calmness and confidence that things, however long they took, would turn out alright (because that was how the world worked, and with how much worrying they were doing over him he had to stay strong for them), nodded. He took a breath in and, though still scared, managed a brief smile. If there was one thing he didn't feel right then, at the nadir of this terrible wait, it was alone.

"Thanks," he said, smiling a bit despite the nerves.

A smile that flickered away as the door opened, and Chief Bogo stepped in.

.

.

.

**AN: On a scale of 0-10, how evil am I?**

**Anton Pounceheart is a reference to the reporter of the same name from the fic 'Three Months a Fox' by WildeNick. In this story, he's more modelled on the stereotype of a populist youtuber. Given that he was never seen or described in 'Three Months a Fox' (you only ever read his articles) I intend to follow the same kind of route here.**

**And, just to be clear (if I wasn't already), just because he gives certain advice potentially 'relevant' to current events doesn't mean I endorse it. I just find it makes everything all the more interesting. (And this is why, as said at the start, carry on following Covid advice. That stuff does exist, it ain't a conspiracy, it isn't all the fault of an evil sheep.)**

**Murana Wolford is DarkFlameWolf's Zoosona and starred in her fanfic 'In Darkness I hide.' CEO of Lemming brothers by day, something else entirely by night, she's also married to Anthony Wolford (of the ZPD) and has two adopted children (the Zoosona's of Berserker and DrummerMax). They'll all be popping up later on.**

**See you all next week.**

**.**

**.**

**Cast list (at the end of Anonymous Vulpine (Chapter 5)):**

**Broken into: ZPD/ law mammals; Fantastic Mr Fox; Aggretsuko; Jack and Skye; other (in alphabetical order).**

**.**

**.**

**ZPD /law mammals, friends and family.**

**Nick Wilde: the reformed ex-hustler turned cop, partner of Judy Hopps. Saved Ash Fox in 'Different', and was a family friend ever since. Lately named as the god father of Ash's new brother.**

**Mama Wilde: Nick's mother. Works as a lunch lady at Ash's school.**

**Finnick: Nick's former hustling partner, taking Nick's joining of the ZPD badly. Formerly served a large period of time in Juvenile detention for some serious crimes and estranged from his family ever since. Currently started dating Fenneko.**

**Judy Hopps: Zootopia's own bunny cop. Partner of Nick Wilde. Currently looking after a necklace for Kozlov.**

**Kii Catano: A female cheetah officer, first introduced in 'Elementary Introductions'. Officially investigating Kris' case with Detective Oates.**

**Detective Oates: Horse detective of Precinct 1, first met when interrogating Kazar in 'Taking out the Trash'. Officially investigating Kris' case with Kii Catano.**

**Detectives Dave and Basil Dawson: Husband and husband, the two mice are the ZPD's newest detectives and incredibly talented. Had a long feud with the long missing Professor Rattigan, and are currently off on an 'investigative holiday' in Slavulpinch, Ewekraine, chasing up a lead.**

**Chief Bogo: Da chief.**

**DA Kurt Wassermaim: Controversial Hippo District Attorney, previously discussed but only seen in 'Anonymous Vulpine'. Promoted by Bellwether during the middle of the Nighthowler crisis over the older favourite, ADA Jeanette Deux, and though never proven suspected to have been part of her plot. Seen to have had a bias against predators, and a grudge against bank CEO Murana Wolford.**

**ADA Jeanette Deux (borrowed from Ubernoner's 'Son's of Efrafa'): White tailed deer doe in a relationship with a mountain lion and assistant to the District Attorney. Seen at the meet up in 'So we're Inters now'. Does not get on with her boss.**

**Officer Jones: Tiger officer who arrested Kris.**

**Chief Ramic (Cimar's Zoosona): Kangaroo Chief of Outback island, big supporter of Inter rights. First seen in 'So we're inters now'. Secret co-founder of WildeHopps shipping club.**

**Eliot Fanghanel (borrowed from Koraru-San): White wolf officer and co-founder of WildeHopps shipping club.**

**Chloe Fanghanel (borrowed from Koraru-San): Thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) wife of Eliot Fanghanel. Sole member of the forks appreciation club.**

**.**

**Fox/Silverfox family and co.**

**Mr Fox (Frederick 'Foxy' Fox): Ex-ranger, current newspaper writer and pest controller, father to Ash Fox.**

**Mrs Fox (Felicity Fox): Wife of Mr Fox, mother of Ash Fox, currently pregnant with a new kit.**

**Ash Fox: the angsty teenage son of Mr and Mrs Fox. Trying to embrace life after a very dark moment, despite coming off as a bit 'different' at times. Slightly older (but much shorter) cousin to Kris.**

**Dr William Silverfox: Mrs Fox's brother in law, husband to her (deceased) sister, and father of Kristofferson Silverfox. Emigrated to Zootopia from Canidea after recovering from a serious case of double pneumonia, caused by an ice fishing accident.**

**Kristofferson Silverfox: Son of Dr Silverfox. Sent to live with his Aunt and Uncle due to his father's illness. A very well adjusted, mature and gifted mammal, though due to the accident he has a slight phobia of the cold. Slightly younger (but much taller) cousin to Ash.**

**Kylie: Opossum sidekick to Mr Fox.**

**Remmy and Remus Packson (wolves); Mitch Dewclaw (wildcat); Maisy Calrama (ewe); Jenny Bourke (wombat): School friends of Kris and Ash. Maisy briefly met Nick and Judy in 'Meditation Mediation' but got worried and left early. Also spotted leaving the school at the start of Anonymous Vulpine.**

**Agnes: Vixen classmate of Kris and Ash, previously Ash's girlfriend, now Kris'.**

**Beavis Chuckman: Woodchuck bully to Ash (and to a lesser extent others). Cameoed in Meditation Mediation.**

**Brittany Voxen (borrowed from Kittah/Variable Mammals): Vixen form prefect to Ash, Kris and those above.**

**Coach Skip: Albino otter coach at their school.**

**The principal: Female springbok head of the school.**

**.**

**Aggretsuko crew:**

**Retsuko: A red panda office worker who blows off steam by singing death metal.**

**Haida: A dentally challenged spotted hyena, works with and loves Retsuko.**

**Fenneko: Social media goddess fennec vixen friend of the above. Distinctive laugh. Currently started dating Finnick.**

**Anai: Japanese badger graduate at their firm and cooking enthusiast. Noted for 'standing up to his rights,' being a perennial formal complainer in writing if he feels he's being taken advantage of. (Do not piss off).**

**Ookami: A maned wolf worker, who also assisted Nick Wilde in an undercover operation (with Nick pretending to be a young maned wolf). **

**Kabae, Tsunoda: (hippo, Dik-Dik (dwarf gazelle)): Two gossip mouthed workers at Retsuko's firm. In season 1 of the show, Kabae was briefly arrested on espionage charges before being let go.**

**Secretary Washimi and Marketing Director Gori: Secretary bird and gorilla friends of Retsuko. Also known as 'The Baddest Bitches in the room'. Cameoed in Meditation Mediation.**

**PROTEIN: Retsuko, Washimi and Gori's kangaroo yoga instruction. First glanced in universe in 'Meditation Mediation', only ever says 'Protein'.**

**Director Ton: the overbearing literal misogynistic pig boss of the accounting department.**

**.**

**Jack and Skye:**

**Jack Savage: Tehuantepec jackrabbit writer and director, previously knew Judy in a university drama society. Bar his acting, a notoriously lazy mammal.**

**Skye Autumn: Swift fox vixen, a mechanic who previously knew (and didn't get along well) with Nick Wilde. Hired to help fix a broken set.**

**Buster Moon: The koala owner of the theatre. He means well.**

**Eddie (sheep): Buster Moon's friend and financier.**

**Siwili Autumn: Grey fox and Skye's adoptive mother. Of native American descent, but kicked out of her tribe when she married her swift fox army husband.**

**Sweetie/Skye's sister: A sharp dressed army lieutenant and adopted red fox sister of Skye. Goes by her previous last name 'Fox' in order to avoid any nepotism. Currently stationed in South Korea.**

**.**

**Other:**

**Dr Amy Lupuleli: Binturong psychiatrist to both Ash Fox, Nick Wilde and Honey Badger. **

**Anton Pounceheart (borrowed from WildeNick's 3 months a fox): An intrepid off-screen reporter/ Ewetuber, who very quickly learnt that stuff was up with the Nighthowler plot and by the end was trying to organise an active resistance. Held in a high standard for 'calling it' after the plot, has carried on campaigning. Like in the original fic, will be an offscreen only character.**

**Daz (Crewefox's Zoosona): A nurse working at a Rainforest hospital, helped Skye with her broken leg in Skye's Fall.**

**Duke Weaselton: small time petty criminal, previously (unknowingly) involved in the first nighthowler crisis. Had an unfortunate run in with a pair of big cats, before being arrested by Nick and Judy. Encountered at the end of his community service again in 'Meditation Mediation'.**

**Frantic pig: The owner of Flora and Fauna (the store Duke stole from) in the movie. His nighthowlers being stolen kickstarted much of the plot.**

**'Gruinard Gal': An ovineophobic Ewetuber who briefly worked with Anton Pounceheart during the Nighthowler crisis, pinning the blame on Dawn Bellwether form the start.**

**Honey Badger: unstable sheep hating Honey Badger/ratel, being treated by Dr Amy in 'The Bin and the Badge'. Formerly worshipping Nick and Judy for taking down Bellwether, had her faith shattered when they had to dart her after her escape from the mental hospital.**

**Jorin: Syrian wild ass and friend of Kozlov, resides in Slavulpinch, Ewekraine. Opposed to 'Sizogo Orla'.**

**Kazar (from 'The Wild'): A pred hating wildebeest, supposedly the 2nd in command of an evil speciesist plot. Taken down in 'Taking out the Trash'. **

**Kozlov: Former polar bear bodyguard to Mr Big, currently in Slavulpinch, Ewekraine, with Jorin. Motives and alliances unknown, but seem to be against 'Sizogo Orla'. Has entrusted an heirloom necklace to Judy.**

**Madge Badger: Honey's sister and the Dr from the movie. While never formerly charged as part of the missing mammals' case, her experience scared her and, seeing her sister spiral out of control, requested her comital.**

**Murana Wolford (Darkflamewolf's Zoosona): CEO of Lemming Brothers bank, and recipient of a number of spurious charges from DA Kurt Wassermaim.**

**Kazar's benefactor: An unknown mammal who had once commanded Kazar, still out there and wanted.**

**Mysterious big cats: A lion and tiger who enquired about 'Sylvester', Moon's sarcophagus trinket, in Acting Out. Once darted Duke in the face later by accident.**

**Mysterious three mammals: Shown observing the news of Kris' arrest from afar, and one has supposedly encountered Nick, Judy and Bogo before, along with his enemy. May have had many other cameos going on.**

**Other fox cops: A second ZPD fox cop is mentioned, along with a vixen currently going through the academy.**

**'Petey': A goat mentioned by Duke as interested in him in 'Special Little Mammals', briefly looked for but not found early on in the case.**

**Professor Padriac Rattigan: Once nemesis of Basil and Dave, long since missing but presumed still out there. Had an entourage including Felicity Pawker, a cannibalistic cat and his lover, and Fidget, his bat lacky. Current status unknown.**

**'Sizogo Orla': Unknown presumed enemy of Jorin and Kozlov.**

**Unnamed Horse: Patient of Dr Amy and Uber driver encountered in 'Skye's Fall'. Generally very helping to his detriment, past survivor of something intense.**

**Vixen Inspector: A vixen inspector mentioned many times, working for Interpol (I'm sure none of you will mind me revealing that it's Carmelita Fox (from Sly Cooper)).**


	50. An Anonymous Vulpine 6

**Chapter 6**

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If a picture could tell a thousand words, then right then Chief Bogo's face said just two; they struck down though with the force of a million. _I'm sorry._

Kris felt like he'd been hit by a slow car, a heavy weight smashed into his chest, winding him yet creating an odd calmness in his body, as if he were in the eye of the storm. There was no waiting for a decision or fearing it anymore, just the dull and heavy chains of certainty.

He was going to prison.

The others weren't like him, they made a noise. A huge noise. Gasps at first, and then some began sobbing or even begging. His father immediately grabbed hold of him and hauled him in close, his grip so hard that his claws were pricking his back. One dull shock replaced by another, Kris fumbled a little as he wrapped his arms back around him, listening in as he breathed in and out raggedly in between his sobs. "Y-you can't… Y-you can't take my son! You can't take him! He didn't do anything. Please don't take him away from me…"

Kris winced as he heard the pain in his voice, hugging back slightly as he peeled his ears. Bogo was speaking.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "But the decision is made. Please don't make it any harder."

"Just shut up," he hissed, in a rare angry tone. Kris felt himself get squeezed further as his grip tightened, yet he remained stuck in a mental limbo, not sure how to react other than to do nothing. He wished that he could close his eyes, meditate a little, clear his thoughts and find a sensible way to react. Instead he was left with a call to fight from the back of his brain, joined by its mental twin, screaming for him to run. A shaky spectre of fear haunted him, a logical conclusion to stand up and accept it spoke plainly, while all were caught in a deep pit of shock, keeping him lying in place and unable to decide.

"I have to take him…"

"No you don't! You know it's wrong too! You know my boy is good, but you just don't have the guts to stand up against this! I-I do though, if you want to take him you'll have to go through me! I'm not letting him go!"

There was a huff. "Listen. He's coming with me, nobody wants you to have to join him."

That sent a slight shiver of fear down Kris' spine, while a wave of concern washed through him as his dad began to full on cry. "It's okay," he spoke, a paw going up to cradle the back of Kris' head. "Daddy loves you. Daddy will keep you safe, I promise. I promise…"

The tears began to drip from his eyes too, as he closed them and took a breath in. The shock was wearing off and the heavy acceptance was winning out, and he knew what he had to do. But he didn't want to.

"Dr Silverfox…"

He didn't want to go.

"Go away, you gelding!"

He didn't want to let go.

There was a huff. "I'll let that slide if you watch your English and cooperate. Let him go or I will have to use force."

He didn't want his dad to get hurt either.

"Watch my English?" he muttered, before barking out a half mad laugh. Kris' heart beat faster in a very unsettling way as his father's teeth bared. "You're trying to steal my son and you tell me to watch my English! Okay then, how about French instead? I'm a bit rusty but I'm sure you won't mind." There was pause as a second, horrible, half-mad laugh, the laugh of someone with nothing else left to lose, was choked out of his throat, setting the furs on Kris back upright. "_Esti de câlice de tabarnak! Vous essayez d'emmener mon fils en prison et vous ne vous souciez que de mon Anglais! Je te promets, je t'enverrai là-bas avant de te laisser le toucher!_" There was a sob and a whimper, and Kris felt himself get cradled once more. "_Ne t'inquiète pas mon fils_," his father said softly, "_tiens-toi juste à papa. Tiens-toi juste à papa._"

Kris closed his eyes and wavered, but he couldn't help but look over his shoulder at the Chief. He was huge. He was massive. He was patient but it was wearing thin, and he didn't want his father to get hurt, and he had a horrible feeling that that was going to happen.

That was going to happen unless he...

He felt oddly calm as he pulled out of his father's grip, his dad's arms initially holding on but then falling away in shock. Going apart, their eyes met, and his father's looked so lost. "Kris…" he whimpered.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. "I'll be okay," he said, as he fully stepped away. His father's whole body was trembling, and Kris had a horrible recollection of him being on that hospital bed, barely able to move as he wasted away from the inside out.

But just like then, he had to go.

He breathed in and out, keeping himself calm, feeling calmer as the Chief came up to him. "This may be cold comfort, but that was very brave of you," he said. Kris looked up, the buffalo was looking down at the floor as he brought out the cuffs. Silently he put his paws forward and watched them go on, tightening up. "There's another two convicted youth prisoners being sent there today," he said. "One is still to be sentenced, so you'll be in a holding cell for a bit before being put on a bus. -I'll use the time to inform the warden about your situation."

"Thanks," he said, as a heavy hoof lay down on his shoulder and began leading him away. This was happening, he was going to prison, there was nothing he could do. He felt like an empty canvas, though that shattered as he looked behind him. The friends Nick and Judy had brought along looked on with aghast faces, trembling or, in the case of the red panda girl, crying. The bunny herself was looking at him, trying to be strong. "We'll fight for you!" she swore.

"You'll be out in a week at most," his uncle added, looking like he meant it.

He managed a small smile, even as his father collapsed to his knees. But then he burst into tears, and Kris's heart hurt as his Aunt and Nick had to hold him back, stopping him from running after him. He almost ran back, fought, burst into tears and it took all his willpower to stop him doing so. That would just make it worse. He had to be strong, even as he was taken down a corridor. Away from them, away from the warmer part of the building and into the colder and greyer areas and, finally, into a cell.

He looked down as the chief undid his cuffs and showed him in. There were concrete walls and floors, a concrete slab for a bench or bed, a toilet/sink unit and nothing else. Was this his life now?

He looked up to the Chief as he brought out a key to undo his ankle tag. It wasn't like it was needed any more. As Bogo removed it, Kris spoke. "Any advice?"

There was a long pause. "I'd say don't cause trouble, and trouble is less likely to find you. Cause trouble and it always will."

"That… that sounds very sensible," he noted, as Bogo stepped back and the door slammed shut.

He looked around the space, paced it a few times, before sitting down. The silence was deafening. This was it, he was in a cell, a prisoner.

This was his life.

He closed his eyes, pausing as he realised that they were misting up. His lips trembled and he felt a sob coming, but he closed his eyes and got himself into a meditative position, breathing in and out.

This was his life. He couldn't change it. In that case then, he'd live with it, because it would only be his life for a short spell, one that might seem long but, one day, would be over. He'd live with it, he'd be strong, he'd avoid trouble, and with those good mammals fighting for him it wouldn't be long before everything turned out good and right, and he'd be home with his father once more. He just had to hold tight and be brave, be brave for them, to trust in others and be a good mammal, and he'd be okay in the end.

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* * *

.

.

"There you are, that's the last of them," Mrs Fox said, as she prepped the last cup of tea. There was little else she could think of doing when they all got home, still reeling from what had just gone on, so she'd gone off to get some tea for everyone in the vain hope it might settle her mind. There was a soft clinking from the side, as one of her new guests picked half of them up and began carrying them over to the stairs. Her gaze lingered on him as he went, the striped jackrabbit who'd given her that baby box at her baby shower.

Her baby shower; she winced her eyes at the thought. That had been the day before yesterday. Things had been good, her family had been together, her nephew had given her and her new little kit a picture book he'd made, and now they were taking him off to jail. She felt her teeth grind from the pain at what had been done to him, and at how powerless they'd been to protect him. The only thing that cut her off was the slight prick of hot liquid on her fingers, the little pinch of pain clearing her thoughts for a second or two, long enough for her to gather them up completely.

Picking up the last of the mugs, she followed the buck up the stairs to the lounge, slowly as she went. Her little kit was getting heavy, she could feel him or her moving about a little, and were she not carrying the mugs she'd put a paw over her bump to settle them down. Moving out into the lounge and placing them down, she did just that, all while wrapping her free one around her brother in law to try and comfort him. She briefly worried that he'd flinch away or snap at her, why wouldn't he? She'd pulled him back as the Chief took his son away from him, she hated herself enough for that now, even if it had to be done, so why wouldn't he despise her?

Instead he did something different, but still notably, maybe even a little bit more so, unpleasant.

He ignored her. He stared forward with a thousand yard stare before slowly reaching out for his drink, cradling the mug with both paws before bringing it up and taking a slight sniff and a miniscule sip.

She glanced away in shame. "I don't expect any explanation or apology to be sufficient," she said. "But I am sorry that I hurt you."

…

"It had to be done," he said weakly, as she looked back at him. He turned to give her a sad look back, before staring down at the floor. "I was… I was acting irrational there," he sighed. "It had to be done, I should have… -I should have been brave for Kris and been mature and thoughtful, like I've taught him to be in his entire life. But right then, right then when he needed me to be me that the most, I went mad. I just couldn't lose him again, Felicity. I couldn't..."

"They were taking your kit away to prison after he'd done nothing," Nick told him, walking over and sitting on his other side.

Mrs Fox nodded. "If they tried to take Ash away from me," she said, sniffing a little and sparing a glance at her own son, sitting in the corner with a glass of untouched canine safe grape soda. "I strongly believe mammals would be hurt, William. You acted like anyone would, and there was no way…" She paused, sniffing again and wiping away a tear. "There was no way you let Kris down."

"He was brave," he spoke quietly. "Braver than I was. He stood tall and walked up to it, while I..."

Mr Fox cut him off before he could carry on. "While you happened to give a display to your son showing him that he meant the world to you, that you happen to love him very much, and that he can always count on your love. As a father myself, I think it's safe to say that I would want my child, were he in such a situation, to know that he was still worthy of all my love and that he was the most precious thing in the world." He paused, looking over to his kit. "Confirmation of that please, most precious thing in the world?"

Ash blinked a few times, before nodding, his dour mood lifting a little. "Yeah, I would. Thanks Dad."

"See," Mr Fox announced, looking at William with a lecturing finger pointed up high. "In fact, I…" he trailed off a little, before then marching right over to a shocked Ash, pulling him into a huge hug. There was a little bit of resistance, more from surprise than any teenage induced angst, but the younger fox then settled and held his father tight. "Just to confirm that I do love you, very much, and I would put all options on the table to get you out of that situation if it was you in his place."

"Thanks," Ash sniffed, gripping his father much tighter. "Even the ones mom doesn't approve of?"

"Especially those ones," he promised, Mrs Fox frowning a little. Ash, meanwhile, gripped him tighter and took a breath in and out.

"That means a lot."

"You're still blaming yourself, aren't you?"

"No. I never blamed myself. I just thought it was supposed to be me."

"Well it wasn't. My point still stands. I love you very much, and your therapist says she'll call you and talk once she's available."

"Thanks," he whispered, as Mr Fox got up and walked back over to William.

"I can categorically say that your son did not, in any way, feel let down by your reaction just then. You're a father, Will, you did what any father would do and what any son would want."

There was a long pause as the silver fox glanced up, before glancing down at his drink. "You're right," he said, leaning down to take a sip, before reaching up with a paw and running it through his head fur. "Or not… I think I need some time to meditate or something, maybe after this, just to clear my head so I can think straight. How else can I help him?"

To his side, Mrs Fox managed a brief smile. "That's right," she said, letting her paw stroke down his shoulder. "No one is mad at you or anything. Take all the time you need."

He looked up at her and nodded, before taking another sip of his drink. "Thanks. And I suppose nobody is mad at me, with the possible exception of my _Grand-m__ère_'s ghost." He let out a tiny chuckle, though it sounded like he had to put some effort into it. "After the things I said to that bull, she's probably waiting up in heaven with a sink full of used dishwater and a scrubbing brush with my tongue's name on it."

"Uncle?" Ash asked. "Would she actually do that?"

"Oh that and bring a fur brush to my rear end too if I'd said that to her face."

His head tilted a little. "It sounded like you called that buffalo a chalice of the tabernacle or something..."

"I did."

The young fox gave his uncle a sympathetic yet unsure look, as if he was wondering how much damage in the past might have been done and how caring he should be. William clocked on to it though. "It makes sense in the context. I'll explain later," he replied, turning back to his drink.

Ash nodded, before walking up to him. "Anyway, I thought that if you wanted to meditate with someone, you could meditate with me."

William briefly looked over at his nephew, before his features melted a little. "That… Thank you, Ash. That's really appreciated."

The young fox nodded back. "Yeah. Though I kind of want someone to meditate with too."

His uncle briefly looked down before smiling, bringing Ash into a short hug. "Come on then," he said. "It'll do both of us some good."

Ash nodded at that and out they walked, onto the lawn and around the corner to be in the sun. That left eight (and a half) mammals in the room. Mr and Mrs Fox, Nick and Judy, Jack and Skye, and Haida and Retsuko.

"Right," Mr Fox said, looking around. "First off, major plans. Given the prison breaks are off, how about break ins? Get in, steal all the incriminating documents we can get on our hippo and blackmail him into letting my nephew go. All aboard?"

…

"Okay. Do we have any others?"

There was a stunted silence from the room, before Judy spoke up. "I don't know, I mean we said we'd try and find evidence that it wasn't him who put them there, and try to get dirt on the DA. But I don't know where to start." She sighed, her head going down into her paws. "Okay, come on Judy, think, think… He's counting on you."

She was broken off by an unlikely source, Retsuko. "Maybe we should wait a little bit, just get our bearings first. I find it hard to think when super emotional."

"But time isn't something we have on our side," the bunny countered.

"Well," Haida piped in, coming to his girlfriend's defense. "It kind of is."

"-Well, not our time at least," she pointed out, an edge in her voice.

"Hey… I mean, I guess," he said, shrugging as he finished off his comparatively small mug of black tea. He put it down before noticing that Retsuko had barely touched hers, and was all too happy to lend it to him. "But the way I see it, a few hours for all of us to be ready to think straight wouldn't harm him that much, right?"

"I…" Judy began, before looking at Nick. "Spending some time just calming down would be okay? Wouldn't it?"

"Well yeah, I guess so," he agreed.

Judy looked unconvinced, but nodded her head. "Okay then, we spend a little bit of time calming ourselves down."

"I mean, it would be useful," Retusko added, as she tapped into her phone. "After all, if there's one mammal who could scan through this stuff and find out who was what there, it's my friend Fenneko. She's coming over here as soon as she can, and… oh, bringing her boyfriend too."

Nick nodded, before turning down to Jack. "Remember. No comments about his size means no teeth based facial removal."

"Ahem," the jackrabbit said, crossing his arms. "I think you'll find I'd never forget something said with such vivid and Munchausian imagery attached."

"Except for last night when you drank too much and forgot everything."

"Before remembering it at the plot-convenient time," he countered, smiling smugly.

Nick rolled his eyes, before looking at Skye. "He's very rough around the edges, just to warn you."

"I'll be fine," she said, before pausing. "Though I might know someone else who could help. Haven't talked to her in a while, but you never know. Also, Kylie might be someone we want here."

Mr Fox nodded. "With our stellar mammal choice, I was thinking that he could fill in any roles left over at the end, but his feedback might have the potential for usefulness in the actual planning stage. I'll see if I can get him in too."

"Right then," Judy said, brushing her paws. "We call in the troops, and then we brainstorm. For Kris."

"For Kris," everyone said, raising their mugs. Mrs Fox, with Jack's help, then began collecting them all up for a refill. It was as she was promising Retsuko that she'd have a good search in the larder for some green tea that the phone rang, Mr Fox going over to it.

"It's Dr Lupuleli," he said. "I'll go and get Ash."

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* * *

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.

"And… and then the Chief took him away," Ash spoke over the phone. There was a soft pause, a tell that he was closing his eyes, pinching the brow of his muzzle and breathing in and out, before he spoke again. "But still," I began, sniffing a little. "Some part of me still thinks that it should've been me who got taken away. Me who got cuffed and sent to juvie, not Kris, but… -Well, they say it's survivors' guilt. What do you think?"

There was a long pause on the other end as Dr Amy Lupuleli dried her tears. This was meant to have been a happy day for her, a lot of good work done and great things achieved. It had been a while since she'd last seen the young fox, given how she'd been unable to go to his mothers baby shower despite an invite, and on being contacted by his parents she'd wondered whether it was to announce their new baby being born. She'd even had the briefest little flight of fancy that, were it a girl, she might have her name as a middle one or something.

Instead the words had been stark and cold, putting a cold dagger into her heart as she listened on. By the time that she'd heard Ash talk through it all, she'd had tears coming out of her eyes. Eyes she now had to dry, she had a young fox to help after all. "I think it's probably very likely the case," she said, as she closed her eyes and tried to think through it all. To call it a clear case of survivors guilt was an understatement, but now she had to work out how to dig to the root of the issue and get the splinter of pain out of there. After all, she had to help her patient heal.

"Yeah. Thanks. But I still feel it…"

"Well, it's only been a few hours," she spoke patiently. "Trauma like this can take a night of good sleep to heal, a week of waiting, a month… But if I can help you understand it better, that should help you get better better."

"I guess…" he spoke. She wondered if he was smiling a little on the other end from her wordplay. He was, though it was matched with a roll of his eyes. "I mean, is it because I failed to protect Kris? It's not like I could have done anything, and though I should protect him any time I can, he's family after all, it's more that he's been protecting me since… Well, since you and I met."

Amy took it all in, rapping her claws along a copy of a signed release form that she hadn't filed away yet. "Tell me, what cases have there been in the last few months of him protecting you and you protecting him. Not just from bullies or anything, in terms of helping out, like with homework and such?"

Ash paused, thinking back. He then brought out his paws and began counting off. "Well, he usually stands up more to any bullies in the class, he really doesn't like them. I… when I was nervous about taking off my sweatbands and going into a pool, he stood by me during that."

"Sounds about fair," she noted. "Anything you did in return?"

"I…" he spoke, pausing before shaking his head. "Not really."

Her eyes narrowed. "Is that not really because you don't think the things you did count?"

"I… Well I don't think so," he spoke, shrugging. "I mean, I let him borrow my towel and jumper when he was wet and cold, but that's just a thing you do."

"It's a thing you did to help him back."

"Well, yeah… I mean, he seemed to have a big problem with the cold, what else would I do?"

"I don't know," she spoke, leaning forward. "What else was there for him to do when you were nervous about uncovering your scars?"

"I… -that's different and… -okay, you're going to ask me why and I can't think of why, so I guess they're actually not different."

Amy smiled. "Clever fox. Anything else?"

"I mean, we're partners in our comic, but he does most of the fuller artwork and stuff. I'm important to that, I help out and all. -Oh, and when my father announced that I had completed my comic, I pointed out to everyone that Kris was just as important."

Dr Amy nodded. "So, when you were given the limelight, you deferred some of it to him. When you try and describe your equal partnership in that comic, you make it sound like he's the driving force. Yet, from what I've heard, a lot of its more creative twists and turns in the story were your idea. Correct?"

Ash paused, nodding a little. "I guess so. But what's this got to do with everything?"

"Well," Amy began, "remember some of the things we'd been noting in our last few sessions. That you felt, or rather were happy, to be in Kris' shadow."

"Well, I know not to be envious of how good he is of everything and to take solace in my own achievements," he spoke, his eyebrows furrowing a little. "That's what you taught me to do."

She nodded. "It is, but did I teach you to downplay your own achievements? No, I did not."

"Downplaying?" he asked, suddenly confused. "I'm not downplaying what I do…"

"Not mentioning helping him keep warm until pushed?" she countered. "Actively downplaying your role in that comic?"

"But they're…" he began, only to lose his wording. "I'm not trying to… -you know."

"You're not trying or meaning to do anything," she spoke. "But you're still doing it, subconsciously." There was a pause, then a sigh. "Ash, one of the things I was noticing towards the end of your sessions, and which I was thinking of raising in the future, was how you frame your place in the world against Kris. Now, I know that he, in many areas, is a more talented mammal." _Who's now in prison,_ she remembered, the sad thought making her pause and sigh. "So yes, in many areas he will be better than you. That though does not equate to what you do being worth less or smaller in stature, many times it may be but not all of them. However I, and your parents, were beginning to worry that you were framing yourself as someone forever in his shadow. Downplaying everything you do in relation to him. Now, do you know why that is?"

"I mean, he is just, you know, a natural."

She nodded. "Yes. However, may I ask you another question. Why do you wear sweatbands over your scars?"

On the other side of the phone Ash froze, his eyes glancing at the items of clothing in question before darting away, his ears folding down as he did so. "I don't like looking at them. I don't like people asking about them or having to answer questions. I don't like remembering."

"If there was one emotion you would attach to that, which would it be."

He took a breath in and sighed. "Shame."

Amy nodded. "Exactly. Ash, many mammals who've contemplated suicide have processed their past experiences in different ways. I've known mammals who feel regret for putting others through pain, fear at what might have been, anger that they ever let themselves do something like that. You, though, feel ashamed of it. That, and the feelings that led you to it, so you live your life covering up those scars and downplaying yourself when around the mammal who you envied so much it drove you to that state. You accepted a place by his side and made up, very healthy, but you almost found solace in being his shadow. Him helping you were acts of kindness, while you helping him was just 'things you do'. This then leads on to your survivors' guilt."

"How?" he asked. "Because I thought he was the better mammal?"

Her eyebrows raised a little. "Potentially, yes. That's at least one of the possibilities. After all, you viewed him as a better mammal in general. He'd never be caught up in anything like this, if anyone would be, it would be you. So, by some strange logic, you believe it should have been you."

"Okay," Ash said, sounding unsure of it.

"If it's any help, that's just one of a few potential reasons," she spoke, noting his little sigh of relief in response. "I can think of a few and, who knows, it may be all of them at play."

"Right," he said. "And the others are?"

"Well," she said, "you admitted earlier that you regard your suicide attempt with shame. You even felt awkward saying it out loud to me. You don't like thinking about it, being reminded by it, and when you do you feel shame. Now, who's to say that you don't process other traumatic events in a similar way, with shame as the dominant or related emotion?" There was a pause, and a sigh. "I'll be honest, I don't know Kris well. I met him at the group therapy session and bumped into him a few times since. I know him as a very mature and intelligent mammal, and I feel awfully sorry for him given what's happened, but as you were telling that story I wasn't crying for him, I was crying for you. For how much you were hurt."

"But…" Ash began to speak, only to cut himself off and pinch the bridge of his muzzle. "Okay, this isn't downplaying, I'm just stating here and now that he's the one actually being sent to prison."

Amy nodded, unable to stop a small smile growing on her muzzle even with the morose subject matter. "Well done being self aware there," she said. "As for that issue, I don't really know him, whereas I have a close connection with you. A very close one, given that you've laid your heart and soul bare for me. Even though you went through far less, it affects me far more because I'm much closer to you. Of course, you're really close to Kris now, aren't you?"

"Yeah," he admitted.

"So, that would be an incredibly traumatic event for you, seeing him being taken away like that. Your mind deals with that trauma by processing it as shame, an emotion very close to guilt. This all gets mixed up together and, what do you know, you begin to feel that you deserved it."

"Okay, that makes sense."

"You might also feel a kind of karmic debt to him, it being part of the reason why you were trying to make up to him," she said. "Again, the shock of seeing that, both due to how serious it is for him and how it stops you from paying it back, urged you to take on the pain for him. Again, manifesting as guilt. It was your fault, as if it's your fault it's not his and he can be free, he can be safe."

"Right," Ash said. "But I only help him as it's what you do, you know?"

"You mean being a good person, which is what you were doing," she pointed out. "Again, self-deprecating."

His eyes narrowed a little, and he stayed silent.

"Finally, in the early stages you two were sitting right next to each other, and in all that time they may well have been focusing on him. Of course, you didn't know it and, in your view, Kris is never going to be in trouble. Occam's razor suggests that, if any focus is put on you two, it's because of you. As a result, you misinterpreted all of this as being focussed on you, something that you had a very hard time shaking off." She paused, her features hardening viciously. "Something those police interrogators didn't help."

Ash took in and let out a breath. "No, they didn't."

Amy nodded, only to be broken off by a blip on an alarm clock. "I'm afraid I have other patients I need to be looking at, and I was only able to slip this call into a short free spot. However, we will be having a face to face meet up as soon as possible."

Ash nodded and smiled. "That sounds good."

She did too. "It does. In the meantime, here's a little exercise. Write down all the points where you felt guilty, then work out an explanation for them. Were they looking at Kris, asking a certain thing to you, were you feeling something bad at the time? You don't need to answer all of them, and we can go over them together when we meet up. Sound fair?"

"Yeah, thanks," he said, feeling more confident.

"Good to hear," she said, smiling. "Best of luck to you… And to Kris, as well," she added, her ears and tail drooping down. "If he needs any help after this, let him know that I'll be more than happy to be there for him."

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "I mean, he's Kris, he should be fine, but…"

"But prison changes mammals," she spoke. "However strong and brave he might be before, that doesn't tell you how it might affect him… Just keep that in mind."

"I will," he said, as they said goodbye and hung up. He got out and, after not knowing what to do for a moment or two, got to work with her suggestion. Out came a pad of paper and some pens, which he used to slowly write down all the times he'd felt it was meant to be him.

His mother popped in, asking if he was okay. He said he was and explained what he was doing. She left, he carried on, only for her to pop in a while later asking if he wanted anything. He asked for a few treats, which she provided a little while later, noting that those two other mammals had arrived. They would start the planning in a little bit, and it was up to him if he wanted to come.

He asked if he could just finish this one thing, which she said he could. So, he furrowed his brows as he filled in the easy answers before going onto the hard one.

His brow furrowed harder, his pen occasionally making a scribble or two but then stopping.

He paused, closing his eyes, breathing in and out, before meditating for a minute just to gather his senses.

Turning back to the questions, he gave them a bit more thought before blinking, his paws beginning to tremble. He scanned up and down a bunch, getting a new sheet out and writing out some things in a different coloured pen, getting ever more desperate as he did so. He closed his eyes, did some breathing exercises, yet it got worse as he returned to it. Looking around, his tail and ears lowering, he held his arms close to his body and ran out of the door.

.

.

**AN: Let's do this again. On a scale of 1-10, how evil am I?**

**On a serious note, this would be a rough chapter for many of you. Don't worry though, the next one will be a light break from all this angst for one reason. Finneko.**


	51. An Anonymous Vulpine 7: Finneko

**Chapter 7: Finneko**

.

.

"Right then, remember what I said, everyone?" Nick asked, looking around.

There was a collection of sighs and 'yesses' as the triple date crowd turned to him. Haida in particular was more than a little weary of the repeated warnings. "Listen, I trust Fenneko. And if she judges any mammal as suitable for her, then I trust that decision and… Uhhh... Even if… -How old even is that van?!"

The collection of mammals turned to see a battered old red van with a white replacement door and a highly interesting mural on one side race up the access road, sliding to a sudden stop next to them. A cloud of dust swept around it while the engine gave one last gunshot of backfire before turning off. Nick rolled his eyes and looked up at the hyena. "Honestly, nobody knows."

"Heeeyyooooooo Slickster!" came a shout from inside as the door was kicked open, Finnick jumping down off of his raised driving seat. Dressed in his regular black and red bowling shirt, with his black aviators perched on his brow and his baseball bat slung across his shoulders, he strutted around like he was twelve feet tall and ruled the roost. "Ya know, as apology gifts go, I'd say this one was a bit cray-cray." He stuck his paws out, buckling as a second, significantly taller, fennec dropped down into them bridal style. "Ahhhh… But I ain't complaining Slick," he said, turning to give her a kiss on the underside of her muzzle. "As I said before, consider us evens! Just no backsies, ya hear?"

"Not that I'd consider it," Fenneko spoke as he put her down. The vixen was realistically only a little above average height for her species, but standing next to the diminutive Finnick really made that hard to believe. She was easily a head taller than him and, if you were being generous, you could say that she was two. She still held herself as sure as he did though, any sense of intimidation only tempered by the fact that she wore a baggy but comfy sky blue hoodie, taking the edge off of what could otherwise be a certified power vixen. "Though I must commend you Mr Wilde on your ability to pick out a fine mate for me."

Nick's jaw hit the floor, the vixen bursting into laughter. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA…"

Finnick just gave her a sly look. "Oooh, not just 'potential' mate now, _Mon Joli-Oreilli_?" He swooned, leaning in and stretching up to kiss one of her ears.

"After this morning, I think we've gone far beyond mere potential," she smirked, Finnick cracking a smile.

"He-hehhh…" he laughed, before spotting Nick's reaction. "Bwahahahaha!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…"

Haida and Retsuko looked at each other, shrugging. "Guess they really have hit it off," Retsuko said, smiling as she looked on at the pair. She then turned to Nick. "Don't you agree they seem to get on well?"

"Yes," he said blankly.

Her eyes narrowed. "Now that you see they can get on well, are you feeling better now?"

He closed his eyes, breathed in, and gave her a blank look. "Do you think God stays in heaven because he, too, lives in fear of what he's created?"

"Oooh," Jack cooed from the side. "Now if there was ever any line held back by its movie," he said, glancing over to Skye. His eyes turned back though, landing on the mural on the side of the van, which he walked off to investigate. Skye, meanwhile, just looked at Judy.

"Should we just keep out of this?"

The bunny looked between the two fennecs and Nick, still part frozen up. "Yeah… for now," she said, as the smallest fox in the group moved up to the largest.

"Aw, C-mon Slick?" Finnick said, strolling up to him. Wazza matter?"

"Just wondering what the appeal is?"

"Wazza appeal?" he asked, paws going up. "Seriously, Slick, just look at her," he said, smiling as he walked back and slung a paw around her shoulder. She blushed a bit as he cosied up tight. "One, she's funny. Two, she's pretty. Three, she holds her own against me with her words and what not, keeps things interesting. Four, she's sexy. Five, she's _real _sexy…" He paused as she giggled a bit, giving her a knowing look, before turning back. "And you know what, we get on nice with each other and make both of us laugh and have a good time. So, there's the appeal in that, Slick!"

"I was asking her."

Haida nodded along, turning to Fenneko. "Yeah, I'm kinda interested in knowing what your type is. I mean, I didn't really peg you for a bad-boy type, I can see it now, but… you know?"

"Well," she said, bringing her paws together, palm against palm, pad against pad and claw against claw. "Remember that singles night I took you to, Retsy?"

The red panda paused, thinking for a second or two before nodding. "The one where I met Resasuke and started our relationship. I remember that, though I spent the entire night texting to him rather than talking, so I might have a bit of tunnel vision."

The fennec vixen blinked a few times. "Oh, you were texting _him_ all that time?" She turned to Haida. "I thought she was just spending her time on her phone, that's how she ended up with him."

"Wait," Retsuko asked, her ears going a little askew. "Is there something I'm missing here?"

"Yes," she carried on, "because you were on the phone all the time with Resasuke. You missed me dismissing singles drinks nights and such as a waste of time, only to then stare into the eyes of a big powerful pallas cat sitting opposite me while I internally rescinded that statement. What can I say? I do like tough boys. In any case, while fun, that night didn't go anywhere due to our species difference, a difference promptly solved by the Finster here. He's tough, holds his own, has a bark and a bite that I certainly appreciate, is simultaneously badass and adorable and, when it comes down to his size, that only comes into play when I want to put forward my own little dominant side. Isn't that right?" she cooed, leaning down onto his shoulder and fussing his head-fur with her claws. His face stretched with lines of pleasure, while she gave them all a knowing look. "He's also a sweet romantic when he wants to be. He treats me like a queen and I treat him like a king," she said, smiling.

"Dat's right," Finnick added, smirking. "We're each other's royalty!"

"As if to top it off, a scan through the scarce social media field he has around him and into his past, along with the evidence of his temperament I get when talking to him, strongly suggests that he is what he is and nothing more. A confident bad boy who lives by his own rules, and I happen to really like that."

"Yeah," Finnick said, his muzzle still raised and teeth still gritted in pleasure as she worked his head and the rim of one of her ears with her claws. "We just click, ya know Slick?" he said.

"No I don't," he said, sighing a little. "But I guess that, like a drunk driver, I have to live with my deeds now.

"You right there, Red!" he announced. "Forever…"

"And ever…" Fenneko added, leaning down and planting her head on top of his.

"And ever…"

"And ever…"

"And ever…"

"And ever…"

"And ever."

…

"Well, that was terrifying," Nick summarised. "But we have more important things to discuss."

"Quite right," Jack added.

"Indeed," Nick said, his voice taking on a darker tone. "I…"

"-Is that mural on your van meant to be Popocatepetl and Iztaccíhuatl?" the striped bunny asked, gesturing over at it.

Finnick's eyes widened with glee. "YESSSS! Howz you know that?"

Jack looked on smugly, gesturing back at himself with one of his paws. "_¿No crees que no conocería una parte famosa de la cultura de mi tierra natal?_"

The fennec drew a blank look as Nick maneuvered himself in front of Jack and opened his mouth to speak, only for a new figure to then barge out of the door and cut in front of him. "Mr Fox, writer and professional problem solver!" he introduced himself. "I hear that you two are the best at assisting in solving problems, such as the ones we have, correct?"

Finnick paused, looking down to his bat and waving it ever so slightly. "Well, I wouldn't say just 'assisting'."

"Confident, I like it. Have you received the brief yet?"

Fenneko spoke up, scanning through her phone as she did so. "I've been notified about what's happened to your nephew and have already started doing some research. So far it seems that no major political or authority figure has revealed his name and situation, following on with the requirements of the youth justice laws. Unfortunately, the event at the school has caused a large amount of trouble, with a variety of revealing posts, both accurate and likely heresy, spilling out on social media. While better analysis along with greater context could lead us to more clues, at the very least I would suggest that we start a highly focussed misinformation campaign designed to downplay what happened. After all, regardless of how this case comes out, the things that are said here could stick with Kristofferson Silverfox for much longer."

Mr Fox nodded. "Reputation and all that, very important."

"Yeah," Finnick noted, before raising his bat up to point at the red fox. "And, if we start causing a ruckus on Chitter and what not, then maybe the people who start to come after us more often than not are those who caused this whole mess in the first place! If they want him in the slammer, they'll wanna keep him in there and turn his friends against him, and if a load of people on the internet are wantin' him out, you can bet that they'll try and do something against it."

"So drawing the snake out of his hole by stirring up the chicken coop," Mr Fox said, before turning to face Nick. "An excellent choice of allies, that dynamic duo will be invaluable. Come on in."

That they all did, the two fennec's bringing up the end. At least until they passed Nick that was. Finnick turned and gave the fox a wink and a smile, before hopping in. The red fox just sighed. "Right, this is reality now. Just gonna have to get used to it." And, with that, he followed in, joining up with the others as they prepared a briefing.

.

Inside, things were getting busy. Bringing out a projector and a laptop, the group were quickly setting up the main lounge as a base of operations. Fenneko was dealing with a bunch of bluetooth stuff, trying to get it so her phone could show onto the main screen. Skye, though admittedly mechanically minded and not software minded, did her best to help. The larger mammals were busy setting out tables and chairs, Finnick was talking to Mr Fox and laughing out loud, while Judy settled up next to Nick.

"Sooo…" she began, looking away and tapping her foot. "You do remember that talk Skye had with you?"

"About talking about me behind my back?" he spoke, looking down at her.

"Yeah," she said, "after I kind of went to town on her for potentially turning Haida and Retsuko against you." There was a pause, as she looked away and sighed. "I'm just kind of worried, or feel a bit hypocritical, with you going on about…"

"-About Finn?" He asked, looking back at her. "Yeah, I can understand that."

She nodded. "I mean I get why you doubted it. Heck, I doubted too. But seeing them now…"

He looked over and nodded. "I… It's hard to really say," he began, pausing as he watched the fennec in question break away from Mr Fox and walk over. He strolled up right next to them with his shades down, leant against a table and pointed at one of his ears.

"Deez things ain't just fo' show, yo' know?" he spoke, Nick groaning in response. "How bad waz it?"

"Well, after realising that I had just set her up with you, I felt I'd committed a crime against love. When asked why, I just admitted that you were once a very naughty boy, but your record is sealed."

He blinked a few times before glancing at Judy. "Dat true?" He spoke, his tone darkening a little.

She nodded.

There was a pause, before he shrugged, lifting his glasses up. "Eh, basically the truth."

Judy sighed with relief, while Nick smiled. "Thanks, good to hear you're not super mad."

"Oh c'mon," he said, gesturing over at Fenneko with a smile on his mouth. "Look at her. She's a fine lady, and you gotta protect dat!"

He nodded, before he focused on him with a critical eye. "Yeah, but are you willing to change for that?"

Finnick blinked a little, stepping back a bit. "What you going on about?"

"Listen, Finn," Nick began, as Judy looked up at him curiously. "Back how I used to be, back when we were hustlers, I didn't deserve to be with Judy," he confessed, staring at the floor as he did so. "It wasn't just cleaning up my act and joining the force, it was about working hard to be the kind of mammal that she deserved. That's what I needed to do to earn the right to be in a relationship with her. You, meanwhile, weren't even willing to drop out of hustling and make the first step. That's why I was so worried about you getting in with her, Finn. I know you came a long way since I first met you, but are you willing to take it the whole way? To clean off and work on your issues, to change, for her? To become the kind of mammal that she deserves?"

There was a silent pause, Finnick's mouth held askew, before his brow furrowed. "And did bunny cop change for you?"

Nick blinked a bit. "Uh, Finn. It doesn't work like that."

"And why not?" he said, paws going onto his hips. "Why is it us boys who have to change for the girls and all?"

The red fox tod facepawed. "Finn, you know what I mean."

"Yeah I do," he commented, before turning to Judy. "I mean, he says he's changed and all, but he's still a dour dog downer, ain't he?"

"Uhhh," Judy began.

"You know, the 'woe is me' and 'oh this world is sad' and 'this ain't gonna work' talks all smattered in with sad philosophicking about 'the true nature of society' and what not. Oh, and the melodrama! Just too much melodrama for any healthy mammal."

"Oh, that," she said, before nodding. "Yeah, but that's Nick, isn't it?"

The red fox just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Yeah," Finnick said. "And why can't Finnick be Finnick, huh? Listen Slick, you might be never pleased about who or what you are, but I'm happy being me. I know what I am, she knows what I am, and is there anything wrong with that? Why do I have to change it, or go away and turn myself into somethin' I'm not?"

Nick was left speechless, before he closed his eyes and breathed in and out. "Okay, yeah. I get you."

"Yeah, you say that," he dismissed.

"No, I'm serious," he said. "A while back, those kinds of things did get too severe for me and I tried to get further away from who I was. Even ignoring those I loved as I tried to do it, even while I was doing it for them.

Finnick blinked. "Dat true, Bunny Cop?"

She nodded. "It is, Finnick. But here's the thing. Maybe I didn't change myself, but I did other things instead. I promised to be honest, to care for him, to be there for him and to repay the love and dedication he gave me." She stepped forward, before glancing over at Fenneko. "Will you do that for her?"

This time it was Finnick's turn to be silent, looking away and scratching behind one of his ears. "Yeeesh! Don't you have big ears too? Didn't you hear me say I treat her like a queen? An' bein' honest with her? Yeah, I've been honest. She knows what I do, she knows what I did. She knows I was in the kiddie pen for five years; heck, she's even seen my jail tat!"

Nick gawked. "You have a jail tat?"

Finnick snickered, pulling up his shirt and ruffling the fur over his heart. Nick looked in closer, his head tilting, before he backed off. "Is that a black paw!?"

"Hey, back when I was a fifteen year old slab of angry fresh bug meat still getting used to having to wear black and white stripes for the next half a decade, they were my homies. That… That was a long time ago. But she's seen and she knows that I'm well past all of that."

"And if she wants you to clean up?" Nick asked. "If it's between the hustle and the vixen?"

Finnick stood still for a second or two before his ears lowered, giving out a huff as he did so. "Fine Slick. Yeah. I can clean up my hustles, though I won't be abandoning them. I'm not a suit and tie kind of mammal, you hear?"

"Yeah, right," Nick said. "And what do you mean by clean up?"

He shrugged. "Hey, she wants to be a PI? Maybe I can be her muscle!" He chuckled. "Partners in crime-bustin'."

Judy crossed her paws. "You know that she is thinking of doing it with her friends, including a hyena?"

"Yeah," Nick added. "And if you ever break her heart, he might be there to sic you."

Finnick snickered. "What? _That_ 'yena?"

"Yes, the 'yena who's been standing behind you ever since I asked if you'd be willing to change for his best friend."

Finnick blinked, turning around and looking straight up into Haida's face. He paused for a second or two before sniggering. "Hey! How's it going with the mother in law?"

Haida suppressed a slight snarl. "It's getting better and thanks for that drink. Listen, I'm gonna trust you as I trust Fenneko. But don't hurt her, or I might have to hurt you."

"Hey," he shrugged, picking up his bat and looking at it. "I ain't gonna hurt her, which is good news as that means you won't get hurt neither."

He flashed a cocky grin back at Nick and Judy, only to suddenly flinch. Haida had dropped his foot down onto the bat and looked down at Finnick, unimpressed. The fennec scowled, tried and failed to pull it out, before looking back grumpily.

"Cool your jets, 'yena. I don't think anyone here wants a demo of why I might be a good pair of muscles... -too."

Haida stepped off the bat. "Listen, we're not really looking for extra muscle. A lot of our stuff might be whitecollar and financial stuff. So very suit and tie-y even if we don't wear those things."

Finnick's ears drooped down hard before he shrugged. "Well, maybe I can go bounty hunting or somethin'. Or join that cool fox over there on his jobs! Hey, Mr Cool Fox! You hiring, right?"

Mr Fox broke off from whatever conversation he was having and saluted across. "Potential slot still open!"

He looked back at Nick and smiled. "Yeah, that's what we was talkin' 'bout. He's legit, right?"

A slightly confused Nick just glanced at an equally confused Judy, then back at Finnick. "You, working for him?"

"Yeah," the fennec replied, a smug grin on his muzzle. "He's basically old you but with none of the sucky bits."

"I…" Nick began, before shaking his head. "Right. Might be very financially optimistic on his part, but you'll probably find a way somewhere." There was a pause, then a smile. "Welcome to the light side, I guess."

He outstretched his paw, Finnick looking at it for a second or two before stepping forward and shaking it back.

"Do her good," Haida added, the small fox holding back for a second or two before giving him a quick two fingered salute.

"I will, 'yena," he spoke levelly. "I will."

There was a brief pause as he walked his way, before the sound of a different fox clearing his throat rang out. "I'm guessing you did meet him."

"Yes."

"So…"

"-My girlfriend told your girlfriend. Ask her."

…

"Carrots…?"

.

.

Meanwhile, three girls were busy with a laptop, working away with both it and a phone while discussing some important matters.

"I have to say, that triple date did sound exciting," Fenneko said, busy tapping away. "It's a shame I couldn't come."

Skye nodded along. "Yeah," she said, "It was fun." She paused though, thinking. "Though maybe four couples would be a bit overcrowded? You could do rotating double dates instead if you really wanted."

"I happen to think the more the merrier."

"Yeah, well that's easy for an extrovert to say."

"I suppose it is," Fenneko noted. "Then again, I still feel that our presence would have improved that night for all, and provided a highly efficient social media chronicle of the events going on in it."

"Well," Retsuko chuckled nervously. "I suppose there's at least one good reason why you couldn't come. I mean, it was our drunken chats that ended up putting you two together… Late last evening... -And now you're super close. I mean, it's pretty scary when you think about how fast you two clicked."

Fenneko shrugged. "Hey, all I had booked in for that night home was internet and sleep. I can't have you beating me on the social media front with your fancy triple dates and, after finding out his van was parked not far from my apartment, I suggested we go out for a late night meal. A little stroll through the meerkat markets and soon we were laughing and smiling together."

"His van," she asked, pausing. "He lives in there?"

She smiled, looking up at her. "The interiors are pretty spectacular. Before we got your call in the morning, I was helping him set up an account on Preddit and guiding him through a drip-fed high interest generating posting arrangement for p-slash-cozyplaces."

Skye looked over at her before bringing out her phone and searching through, her eyes widening as she saw something. She passed it over to Retsuko, the red panda blinking as she saw it. "That's better than I imagined."

Fenneko waved it over before giving it a critical eye. "I wouldn't say so. Only two gold so far."

Retsuko rolled her eyes. "I was talking about the interior."

The fennec vixen smiled. "It has a certain charm, and it's surprising what a bit of opportune framing, lighting, and some tactical tidying of an otherwise functional living space can do."

"Yeah," Skye noted, looking at it. "It does look like a nice place. Still, though, living out of a van full time and all… I'm not trying to be judgemental, but…"

"-Such a thing is associated with unsavoury characters, isn't it?" Fenneko interupted, carrying on working on the laptop, her focus seemingly unwavering from it. "Ones who roam from place to place, stealing and looting where they go, using drugs and seeking women for short thrills or worse. Who knows? He could be an escaped sexual predator, who lurks the street trying to woo in innocent mammals, only to tranquilise them before taking them out to a secluded spot where he does unspeakable things before finally granting the long begged for mercy of death."

…

"Don't worry Skye," Retsuko said, reaching out with a paw and holding on to the slowly retreating swift fox vixen. "She's normally like this."

"That's not helping," she said, turning to look at the small vixen, still focussed intently on her screen.

"Hey, just saying," she said, shrugging. "In reality though, I was able to cross reference his pictures with the name provided and that of his sponsor, Nick Wilde. I found a quick back catalogue of pictures that had been taken, giving me a reasonable view of what he was like."

"Only reasonable?" Retsuko queried.

"If you're worried, that was due to authorship bias. It was pretty obvious though that most of that was teasing, especially after cross referencing with Finster's own, sparser, media posts. Suffice to say, in contrast to a number of captions, he was not a member of the extreme end of the ageplay community."

The two other girls gave each other an odd look, Retsuko turning forward again. "And what did you learn about him?"

"Well, from a variety of posts I found that he is a bit of a tough guy, he enjoys playing an electric guitar and generally keeping his vehicle in working order. He has an interesting taste in music, not the same as my own but this is real life and you can't have it all. He can be grumpy and a bit snappy at times, but after a hard day's work he can sit back in a bean bag with a beer in one paw and a contented smile of a day well spent on his face. He's actually impressively good at art and stuff, he didn't do that mural but he practiced how to touch it up and learned how to paint. Also, he follows baseball, similar to my minor interest in softball. We actually spent the night at the batting cages."

She brought out her phone to prove it, the pair scrolling through. At first there were a few selfies of them at the markets, sharing food or with him bursting out in laughter. There was a selfie of them holding up a margherita each, before the scenery changed. Dressed up in the correct padding, different pics showed them having a go swinging with his bat. The ones with him had him leaping up with a furious look on his face, cracking the ball with his bat as if he wanted to send it up into orbit. By the end, there was a picture of him with his mouth open, tongue panting out as he squeezed a flow of juice into his gaping jaws, all framed by the stark glow of a spotlight behind him. The next few pictures were filtered versions of the same one. "I like this one," she said, showing off one where the light behind had been dulled down and the saturation of his colours turned up. "Though he likes this one," she said, scrolling on, revealing a black and white version with a very noir like feel. On she went, showing a few pictures of her swinging that bat. It was clear she wasn't as good, but on one she was caught hitting the ball square on. The next few pictures had her jumping up and down in celebration. The one after that was a double selfie, Finnick holding her tight with a look of cool pride on his face.

"That's nice," Retsuko said, smiling.

"I know," Fenneko said, almost whispering. "So hot." She scrolled on some more, revealing Finnick taking her back to his van, showing her in, the two snuggling, then the pair beginning to pose and snuggle in decreasing amounts of clothing… "I'll stop there," she said, taking her phone back and scrolling to a different, resolutely clean, image in her gallery. "We had fun last night," she said, glancing up at Retsuko's wavering eyes.

"T-t-the real thing, that soon?"

"Oh no, it was all snuggles, kisses, tongue and paw stuff last night," she waved off. "It was after he brought me breakfast in bed from a store, along with some items from a pharmacy, that we did the real thing."

"Woah, TMI!" she said, backing off.

"Also, let me just say that his van is not compensating for anything," she said, giving a knowing smile at the slap-faced Retsuko.

"Uhhhh….. Uhhhhhh…"

They were broken off by a deep laugh. "Givin' 'em TMI babe?" They watched Finnick stroll over, planting a kiss on the side of her muzzle.

"Arguably less. Though maybe her overt reaction is due to a latent hyenid versus ailurid scale based fear she has due to her chosen species of mate. Any attempts or mentions of the act of making love, especially with well endowed men, sends her into a series of increasing nerves due to the fact that she either risks never fulfilling the full potential of her romantic relationship with him or she risks causing grievous and maybe even potentially permanent body harm to a sensitive area from over eager over stuffing. Of course, knowing her mate, that could send him into a tailspinning spiral of guilt ending up in estrangement or even suicide, all on her."

Retsuko's face was like a stone wall while Skye was taking an increasing number of steps back.

The two fennecs glanced at each other before breaking down in hysterics. "Bwahahahaha…" "HAHAHAHAHAHA"

Shaking her head, Retsuko put her paws on her hips and stared them down. "That was not funny!"

Mid laugh, Finnick looked up, trying to hold his laughter in but failing. "Yes it was! Yes it was! Hahahaaaaa…"

"HAHAHAHAHA… -Did I tell you he appreciated my sense of humour too?"

"No," she grumbled. "I mean, what if it's you getting it done to!"

"What?" Finnick asked, still bent over in laughter. "Like the van dwellers one? Oooh, I'm an escaped sexual predator. I'm going to make you beg for the sweet release of death. BWAHAHAHA…."

"Well," Skye finally said, feeling it was safe to approach them again. "I have to admit. They are made for each other."

"Yes," Retsuko said, pausing and clearing her throat. "What about him, you know, once being a 'naughty boy'?"

The two broke off, Fenneko bringing a paw out to hold Finnick back. "A few pics suggested he got out of a reform institution around fifteen years ago."

"Waz that the time ten years ago that Slick got me that five year old's birthday cake with the sparkler on it?"

"Yes. While a large number of comments you made on an online article about a past 'Kits for Cash' scandal in the States, particularly in conjunction with fellow commentator '_Eljaysliver'_, suggested that this stemmed from a bad experience in the youth justice system." She paused, glancing at him. "You might want to remember that for later."

"Uh-Okay," he said, not sure where this was going. Fenneko was carrying on regardless.

"However, it wasn't me who brought this up last night."

There was a pause, as Finnick's expressions darkened. "Yeah," he said, turning to the other two girls. "I did some dumb ruttin' stuff when I was a teen and I did half a decade of hard time," he said, looking to the side a little. "It was when she suggested we go back to my van and asked how tough I really was that I told her the truth and the whole truth and nuthin' but the truth about all that. She then said she knew, and that me telling meant an awful lot to her."

"Yes. For instance, the fact I really would be going back to his van."

Finnick chuckled, before cosying up to her, massaging one of her ears. "Never change, _Mon Joli-Oreilli. _Never change."

She looked at him and smiled, glancing over at her friends as well. "He's also quite the romantic," she said, before tapping a few times on the laptop. "And I think this should do the trick!"

Pressing the enter key it did, the projector behind them displaying a blank screen. There was a pause as the whole crowd slowed down, realising it was time. Nick and Judy stepped forwards; Dr Silverfox, his expression darkening gravely, sat down; Skye and Retsuko found a seat next to their boyfriends. Mr and Mrs Fox held onto each other and gave them a nod.

Fenneko brought up her phone, ready to begin, only for the door to the stairs to crash open. Ash staggered in, looking terrified. "I-I-I've worked something out!"

.

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**AN: Thanks to my ever dependable proof reader, Dancou Maryuu, for coming up with the zoot name for twitter.**


	52. An Anonymous Vulpine 8

**Chapter 8**

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**AN: This chapter and the next were interesting to write, both being the split up parts of a long meandering set of conversations where the initial theories and plan of action are hammered out. I ended up chopping and changing a bunch of stuff around a few times to get the scenes into a flow that worked, made sense, and ended on the note I wanted. Enjoy.**

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"I-I-I've worked something out!"

All eyes turned to Ash as he stepped into the room, nervously glancing around before scurrying up close to his parents, holding them tight. His mother bent down to hold him, hard, while his father's ears had picked up. "Excellent work son. What is it?"

He turned and looked up into his eyes. "It was supposed to be me."

There was a long pause, Felicity finally breaking it as she held him tighter. "Oh Ash… No it wasn't, it…"

"-It was," he stated, suddenly pushing himself out of her grip and looking around. "It was supposed to be me!"

"No, Ash, it wasn't…"

"It was!" he shouted, his mother suddenly backing off. He'd gone from looking worried to having lines of frustration riven across his muzzle, all while his fluffed-up tail beat back and forth behind him.

"Ash," his father began. "You did have that talk with…"

"-Yes! That's how I know it was supposed to be me. Now are you going to let me help Kris or not?"

Felicity's head tilted a little and she looked up at Foxy, the older fox paused in thought. "Okay Ash, tell us everything."

He looked at his father for a second or two before closing his eyes, breathing in and out. "Thanks," he muttered, before walking over to the centre of the group. "My therapist said that to help with my survivors guilt, I could start listing out all the times I thought it was meant to be me. Then I could work out an explanation for each time." He brought out a sheet of paper and began reading off of it.

"Okay, first off, all the stuff going on with the police. That just made me nervous and more insecure, so I began getting worried. Then, when the police began looking 'at' me and standing around me, they were actually looking at Kris. Well, I didn't think that then, I know when people are and aren't looking at me, and I think it even less now. But okay, they were looking at Kris. Then they got to the lockers, which they opened up after arguing over the name list. Kris' locker is right below mine, easy mistake. But then I was being led over to the principal's office, the cop still tough and angry standing beside me. I was nervous, right? Same thing I was when I was being interrogated. But, after that, when the Chief mentioned 'the true suspect' to the hippo, he looked right at me. Right at me. Then he paused and said it was Kazar. That, I can't explain."

"Well," Felicity began, stepping forward. Ash's eyes narrowed as she spoke. "Maybe there isn't a reason, or maybe he was glancing at someone behind us, or…"

"-He's right."

She paused, turning to her husband. "Foxy?"

"That police chief was most certainly looking at our family unit, or rather in between us and at about Ash's height, for an unusually long time."

"But still, there could be all sorts of reasons for that?"

"Or it was meant to be me, originally," Ash spoke. "It's not the only odd thing. Back when a cop was taking me to the Principal's office, she was mad at him for lots of reasons. But then she said that I had a 'right to know' and that she should tell me, but the cop ordered her to stay quiet. That's the big thing that made me realise this. They originally got a call telling them that the howlers were in my locker, not Kris'. Only, when they came to inspect it, they found them in the one below mine. That's why they were confused and needed to get the records. That's why the cops were all looking at me. That's why they gave me such a long interview at the station!"

There was a long pause, only broken as Judy clicked her fingers. "Of course! An anonymous tip!" Nick snapped to the same realisation too.

"Hold up," Skye said. "Wouldn't you have known if Ash had a tip against him? If he was interrogated, wouldn't that be the first thing they'd bring up?"

"Theoretically, yes," she said. "Except for the fact that this is a youth case."

"And that changes things how?"

Judy paused, taking a breath in and stepping forward. "Let's say you have a young gang member or suspect. They might know something important, or a less-than-ethical detective suspects them of something and point blank wants to see them put away. Now, they don't have anything on them. However, they or a friend could put in an anonymous tip. At that point, they say they have something on him and can use it to scare them. Add a few more tips, maybe from the same person as, guess what, nobody could tell the difference, and suddenly you've got a young and scared child who might jump at a plea deal or give up some info. It used to be used fairly often, which led to a law being passed banning it. Unless they have firm physical evidence, you can't say that an anonymous tip was levelled against them, given that it's an illegal intimidation tactic. Bogo's a by the book's Chief and against Wassermaim he'd do nothing that could give him leverage, he wouldn't even tell us confidential stuff like that off record, but he does want to help us."

Nick snapped his fingers. "_There's nothing I can legally do to help you. Not even an anonymous tip. Think about what I just said."_

"So that's why they were so mean to him," Felicity gasped, turning to her son. She walked up to him and, this time, he didn't resist her embrace. "They still suspected you, they thought it was you. Oh I'm so sorry Ash, I'm so, so sorry…"

His looking of comfort in her paws broke off a little. "You know it wasn't actually you who did that?"

She sniffed a bit. "Well, _I'm so, so sympathetic_ doesn't have much of a ring to it," she said, gently kissing him on the forehead.

"T-thanks," he said, before stepping back. He looked around, his gaze eventually glancing to Nick. "That's it. I think whoever put them there called in an anonymous tip on me. It would have all worked too, only they got the wrong locker. Probably as they thought I'd have the lower one being the short kit."

Silence filled the room as Nick stood up and looked around. "So," he said. "We're not looking for someone who wanted to get Kris, we're looking for someone who wanted to get Ash. It could be anyone. After all, it doesn't take much effort to make your way into a school locker."

Judy nodded. "That's if it's true," she said, turning to Ash. "It is a good theory, but we need proof. Proof we won't get from the police."

"The head," Felicity spoke. "She does know, doesn't she? I can phone her up right now." She stood up and walked out over to the staircase before descending down. A long pause followed her absence, before Nick turned to Mr Fox.

"Don't you bunch have a cell phone?"

"Our old landline holds a lot of sentimentality, and Felicity always wants something to wrap around her fingers while talking" he said, shrugging. "The important thing is what we do with this new bit of information."

"Well," Nick said, turning to Ash. "Mr…" he made a spitting noise, "who hates you enough to try and do this to you?"

"I don't know," he said. "If I knew I'd have told you."

Haida nodded along. "That is a fair point. Also, surely whoever did this also needs access to the Nighthowlers in the first place. Maybe their family used to be one of Kazar's ex-goons. If you could cross reference the list of those arrested for that with, say, the student yearbook, you might be able to find something."

Judy pumped her fist and smiled. "Great idea! You might make a pretty good detective going on."

Haida blushed a little, his tail wagging. "Oh, uh… Thanks."

"-Also," Fenneko said, "you can forget about a yearbook." She began opening up browsers, typing in the name of Ash's school before finding a school photo of the entire staff and student body, their names listed beneath. Opening up a little tab in the website, she began entering in a few lines of code."

Jack looked on, astonished. "Hacking in the flesh…"

"Yup," Finnick said, cosying up to her. "I don't know what the heck she's doin', but I like it! We make quite a badass pair, don't ya think?"

Nick shrugged. "I think that 'Gruesome Twosome' is more fitting, but each mammal to their own."

Ash nodded, before his head tilted a little. "Hang on, how does she know which school I go to?"

"Just accept that she does, Kitto," Haida said. "It makes it easier."

"I wouldn't say that," Skye said nervously, before looking down at Jack. "Though, as you'd put it, it's very in-character."

He gave her a smile, only to be broken off by the fennec in question. "It's what I do," she said, looking up and giving a wink as she brought out her phone, Finnick jumping up next to her as she took a picture. "I take selfies and I know things. And done!" She hit the enter key and a line of text appeared before closing. There was a pause as she then switched to an excel document, a whole list of first and second names printed out. Judy nodded and then stepped over.

"I think I can find a list of those arrested on the Kazar raid," she began, beginning to flick through the web. Her interest was piqued, and she was going to get to the bottom of this. She was soon on the ZPD homepage, looking for the staff log-in. "If you set up your little thing again, we can get it down and…" She froze, her eyes lingering on a small article mentioning the first badger to try for the academy, his black and white striped face staring out. The sight triggered a memory, which hit her like a bucket of freezing water. "Oh…"

"Oh, what?" Finnick asked.

Judy looked down at him, before looking up at Mr Fox. She was shaking a little, her ears hanging down. "I'm sorry," she sniffed, as she suddenly felt dreadful.

"Sorry for what?" he asked, as Nick got up and walked over to her.

"Hey, hey, Carrots. What's the matter?"

She looked up at him, her lips trembling. "Do you remember the baby shower, when that Badger was talking to me?"

"Yeah…" he said, not quite sure where this was going. Just in case Mr Fox was getting any ideas, or rather one idea in particular, he shot him a warning glare, telling him to let the bun finish.

"He was worried that mammals who didn't like me, who wanted to… to hurt me… That they would go for Mr Fox instead, getting me through him," she said. She'd brushed it off then, it seemed implausible, but now... "But what if they went after Ash instead!? What if the whole reason Kris is going to jail is because someone wanted to hurt me!?"

"Hey, hey hey…" Nick said, leaning in and holding her. "It's not your fault…"

"But it would be…" she began, trying to get it across. The only reason he was suffering now, thrown away due to a law that she supported, was because she had put this family into the firing line. That was on her and she hadn't even thought about it, and now an innocent kit was suffering because of that, the guilt of it all worming its way down into her bones. "If I wasn't…"

"Hey!" he scolded, breaking her off. He looked into her eyes, hard. "Judy Laverne Hopps, let me remind you who first got in contact with this family, hmmm? And let me remind you who is friends with the targeted mammal? So, if someone was trying to harm one of us via hurting Ash, which would it most likely be, huh?"

She paused. He kind of made sense? Still, she felt bad. "I…" she began, before breathing in and out. She had to focus, otherwise how would she help him? "No, it's whichever mammal did this, isn't it. It's their fault."

Nick nodded. "Bingo. And there's one other point worth considering. I don't blame you if you've forgotten it, I only mentioned it a long time ago, but my mother also works at that school."

"She does?" Retsuko asked.

Fenneko nodded. "On the lunch staff."

"Yeah," Nick agreed, turning back to Judy. "So, if we were the targets, surely she would be a much bigger, more obvious one. They're much more likely to know who my mother is than know that we're friends with Ash, right?"

"Right," she said, looking over to Mr Fox and Ash. "Whether they were after us or not though, we will help. And if anyone thinks they can use you to harm me, if they think they can get away with harming Kris, then they're going to have to read up on what harm really is!"

"Tacit support of police violence," Mr Fox said, "I like it."

Nick rolled his eyes, only to then freeze. Just like Judy, a memory had fired in his brain. What Mr Fox had said, or the first part of it, had briefly reminded him of the kind of barb a certain someone would make and, as soon as it had entered his mind, it had begun to take root. His teeth began gritting, the fur on his back rising, and half his mind not wanting to believe but the other half screaming out about how much it made sense.

"Aaaaannndddd done," Fenneko said, before typing a few more lines of code. "Just put a comparison through and… -Oh, no match."

"It's not one of them," Nick spoke out loud, harshly. All eyes turned to him as he closed his eyes and pinched the brow of his muzzle, pacing around as he did so. "I don't believe this, I really don't believe this. This has got to be way too far for him. It has to be…"

"Nick?" Judy asked, watching as he sat down, his teeth grit in anger.

"A mammal who doesn't like us. A mammal who doesn't like Ash either and knows we know each other. One who thinks he was screwed over by all the three of us not once but twice, and swore to get his own back barely more than a day ago."

Judy blinked, her mouth gaping open. "No. Even he…"

"He can sneak in and out of that school and he may well have some howlers stashed away too. After all, we know he was wrapped up in the first plot too, don't we?"

"Who is this?" Fenneko asked, her ears tilting.

"Yeah," Haida added, Retsuko nodding along.

Jack and Skye leant forward while Dr Silverfox looked on in nervous anticipation. However, it was a member of the Fox family who eventually spoke.

"It was that weasel," Ash spoke, his father turning down to look at him. There was the sound of a door opening as his mother marched out, tail bushed up, only to freeze as she saw that something was going on.

"Ash? She asked. "What weasel? This isn't that one you mentioned, was it?"

He nodded. "All three of us were there when he got caught selling alcohol next to my school. He didn't like Nick and Judy, and he was angry at me too. Then we bumped into him yesterday, messed up his last day of community service, and he was mad at all of us."

"The embarrassingly useless one," Felicity added. "And also indescribably petty if you're talking about him for the reason I think you're talking about him."

Ash nodded as Dr Silverfox got up. "Kris mentioned him yesterday," he said quietly. "Talked about him getting mad at Ash and the two officers, promising to 'get his own back'. This is it…"

Nick nodded gravely. "Well, it isn't quite it. I still can't believe he'd do something this wicked, but it does look like he planned to stitch up Ash, hurting all three of us at once. Heck, with his community service ending who knows where he might have gone now. And though he framed the wrong mammal, if he was callous enough to do this in the first place he probably wouldn't care about it being the other young fox who created a mess for him getting into legal trouble. He probably still thinks that his call about Ash screwed him up."

"About that," Felicity said, a long pause filling the room. All eyes turned to her, her ears drooping a bit. "All she said was that she was told it was police business and couldn't comment. I tried my best; I was quite forthright with her."

"How forthright are you talking about?" her husband queried.

"Very."

"Yikes," he said. "That is quite forthright."

"So…" Ash began. "We don't really know if they called against me. -But it still makes sense, and out of all the mammals who could do this, this weasel makes the most sense."

"Or it could be someone completely different," Judy said, stepping forward. "She might have been ordered to stay quiet using those same youth justice laws, and it might have been called in on Ash, but we don't know. We need more information."

"Though, for now at least, we could try and get some more info on his whereabouts," Nick spoke. "Finn, Fenn, we need you to do a search for Duke Weaselton."

"On it," she saluted, as Finnick blinked.

"Wait, this is _Duke_ we're talking about, here?"

Nick nodded, as Retsuko spoke up. "Who is this mammal?"

"I'll tells you who," Finnick spat. "He's a slippy, slimy, useless little bootlegger without a backbone in his body! I actually endured a year with him back when I was locked up in Juvie, he'd pickpocket and steal and snitch on anybody! All the time being this insufferable little prick in your face. If he's anythin' like what he waz back then, and the times I bumped into him since he's pretty much been worse, then he'd sure as cuss think nuthin' of sending some poor kit to the pen! Slick… You better get to him first… If he really did this, I might not be able to stop myself going all Lang family against him and biting his face off myself. And this time I literally mean it."

Nick looked at Finnick silently for a second or two, his ears folded back as he gulped. "Right, I'm actually believing you right now," he noted. "I'll do my best."

"Yeah," Finn said, looking over to Fenneko. "I think I've found myself someone I want to spend my life with here," he said, their eyes meeting as they shared a smile. "Don't think I can bear being split apart."

"Neither can I," the fennec vixen said, as she gave him a peck on his muzzle before turning back to her phone. "Any other information on him?"

Judy nodded. "He was hired by Doug and Co to steal the Nighthowler bulbs for the original scheme, when we tried to chase him up to ask questions about this latest one we ended up busting him for selling alcohol to minors. He pled down to community service by helping us with that case, though his lead led us nowhere."

"Which might have been the plan," Nick said. "He might have been lying."

"Well," Judy said, "he's going to really regret that if he did." She turned to look at Fenneko. "Any news?"

"I've not got a lot, this is not a socially media active mammal," Fenneko said, a pang of worry in her voice. "He has a barely used furbook page but… -ah! His flat mate does have one! It appears he shares an apartment with a ferret named Gus Pippman. A few posts and mentions have our mystery mustelid in the background, some are even in his room. As for this ferret, he appears to be a minor gang member, he has unusually large quantities of flashy jewelry he enjoys showing off so he's potentially a shoplifter or small time thief."

"Yeah, I bag that one as a thief," Finnick agreed. "He's also a Lobos gang member; not fun, and I don't think he'd rat out if Duke did it or not. He actually has street cred."

"Still worth a try," Fenneko said, as she began typing again.

"Not without me and Mr Bat," he said.

She paused, looking at him and flashing a little blush-accompanied smile, before turning back to her phone. "Also, it appears that he's got a bunch of Caveslist advertisements for different rooms in his place. Going back to the furbook page and looking at the pictures of Duke's room, there also appears to be a few bits of camping equipment put in place, an interest said landlord shows no evidence of interest in. I'm presuming that our weasel might have a fondness for outdoor activities, and may be using it as a cover to leave the city."

"Or the country," Nick spoke, walking over. "Go Stateside for a bit, he's completely out of our reach unless we can get an international warrant, which we're not going to get anytime close to soon." He paused and sighed. "He could be _anywhere_. We'd want to both confirm the tip against Ash and look at that roommate first, then maybe try and find him and, if worst comes to the worst, go out there and make him admit that he planted the howlers and then put in the tip."

"Which might not even exist," Dr Silverfox commented sadly. There was a pause, as all eyes turned on him. "I mean, it might not be a set-up against Ash and it might be someone else, and we'll spend all this time barking up the wrong tree while… while…" He breathed in and out, sniffing a few times as he reached for a tissue to wipe his eyes with. The whole room seemed to take on his morose expression, ending as he put the tissue up and looked over to the others. "What do we do until then?"

The grim mood held itself for a second or two before it was cut off by Fenneko. "If you remember, before we had the weasel lead I was trying to raise some issues about the social media impact of our mammal's arrest."

Dr Silverfox nodded gravely, his ears folding down. "How bad is it?"

Fenneko opened up a few websites and began scrolling. "It seems that the initial arrest wasn't captured on any recording devices, so the direct link to Nighthowlers is not there. However a few students recorded the police turning up, with one capturing a video of Kristofferson being led out and placed in a cruiser. It was posted to Dik-Dok and was then distributed. There are also two versions on Chitter, one on Furbook and, most worryingly, a version of Preddit."

Finnick nodded. "Yeah, we actually saw that one just before getting a call out. You fine if we play it, Pops?"

He nodded slowly, taking a breath in to steady himself while his sister in law put a paw on his shoulder, and the fennecs pressed play. The recording was shaky and grainy, but it showed a bunch of cop cars pulling up into the school and a variety of mammals jumping out. Whoever was holding the camera asked what was going on, one of the officers responding that it was trouble and that they should keep their muzzles out of it. Then it skipped forward, revealing the front doors of the building open up wide. There, led by a tiger cop and with his paws cuffed behind his back was Kris. His father breathed a sigh of relief, he seemed perfectly calm if not content, and though he glanced towards the recording mammals for a second or two he provided no resistance as he was put into the back of a car and then driven off.

"That... That wasn't so bad," he muttered, breathing in and out.

Finnick nodded. "Now, do you want the good news or the bad news?"

"I… bad news first," he said, bracing himself.

He glanced to Fenneko who carried on. "Let me prime you first," she said. "The website Preddit is a social media platform that takes on the form of a forum, with multiple sub forums. For instance, most countries and large cities will have their own sub-Preddit, set up by residents with posts about said area being put in. Mammals can then reply to said posts, up or down voting them as they like. Very popular posts have a chance of appearing on Preddit-slash-all, which is the closest thing the site has to a homepage."

"Okay…" he said. "I'm used to the standard hobbyist and academic forums, but I think I get this. I'm… I'm guessing that this post was put into the zootopia channel and then got upvoted to the front page."

"Not quite," Fenneko said, as she opened up P-slash-all and scrolled down a bit. "As you can see, it was put on P-slash-JusticeServed… Also, hang on… There's a second version that's been posted onto P-Slash-ImAtotalPieceOfCuss. Both are climbing highly, both, as you can see, say that he was taken in for having nighthowlers in his locker."

"I…" Dr Silverfox drew a blank. "Okay, what's the good news then?!"

"The good news is that if you scroll to the very end of the video," she said, opening it up and looking through. She pressed play, and the mammals there were talking for a bit. "_Isn't that the new kit?"_ one of them asked. "_Chris, right?"_ Someone else looked at him. "_No, it's Christopher." _And then the video cut out.

Dr Silverfox breathed in a sigh of relief, running his paws against his leg. "So, they'll get his name wrong… That's a relief. -But can't we take them down?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, that'll be covered by the youth protection laws. Preddit will definitely take them down if ordered too, though the other social media sites are too decentralised to easily control. With Furbook especially it'll be like trying to beat out a burning fire, we may have already missed it and can only hope it dies down soon. On a lighter note, for the Preddit takedown we probably don't need to get a lawyer in or anything either. I can email the news to Chief Bogo and he can make a start on the injunction."

"Yeah," he said, "and speaking of lawyers I'm going to get my paws on one as soon as I can."

Nick smiled. "I have a shortlist of those guaranteed to make steam come out of The Chief's ears lined up and waiting."

"Great, I'll also march right over to the Canidean embassy, see if they can kick up a fuss there too."

Judy nodded, clicking her fingers. "Good idea. I heard about a previous case with a foreign national, and their embassy did put up a fight. All the more pressure on the DA to tone it down."

"Yes," Fenneko spoke, leading on. "That's probably the other big issue we have."

Nick nodded, sighed, and stood up. "She's right. Popping the weasel is all well and good, but it's about time we talked about the hippo in the room."

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**AN: Kudos to Merc Marten for coming up with Dik-Dok in his fic, 'Zootopia: Fire Triangle'. Given its size, I'm not going to tell you to read it despite how much I love it… I will tell you to read the much shorter and plot critical prequel, 'Escape from Zoo York'. That should get the addiction going...**


	53. An Anonymous Vulpine 9

**Chapter 9**

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"So," Fenneko began. "From my research, I'm presuming that DA Kurt Wassermaim's not one to easily cave into public pressure."

Nick nodded. "If he were, he'd have resigned years ago. He's calling the shots here, and he _wants _this to happen." There was a pause as his teeth bared. "He's enjoying this, I saw it, and there's nothing we can do as he's still got a term left to finish. There's no way City Hall will renew him for another term and he knows it, so he's got nothing to lose. Unless we can get a bunch of evidence to prove Kris didn't do it, there's not much we can do other than wait these four weeks out and hope they've got so little they're forced to drop it when filing charges. Heck, even if we do have a bunch of stuff he may ignore it and try and bring Kris to trial anyway!"

Judy looked on gravely. "In which case we wait the seven months before making certain he's freed at his trial. -But surely there is a way we can pressure him? Isn't there a way we can force him out?"

"There's that thing I suggested a while ago," Mr Fox reminded everyone. "Break in, get sensitive stuff, blackmail?"

Before his wife could protest, Fenneko spoke. "An idea with merit, certainly. It could play well with my plan: working with some EweTubers who really don't like him. Though to create real pressure we'll need the non-alternative media on our side."

"And that leads onto something I know," Mr Fox said. "After all, I write for a newspaper. I'm also the oldest long term resident of the city living here and I happen to remember a few things."

"Such as?" his brother in law asked.

"Such as a case ages ago where a DA was suspended by the Mayor on the claim that they were unfit to do their duty. However, it's worth noting that said DA _then_ took the case to a judge who ruled in his favour, and he stayed in place."

Judy's eyes widened. "So, if we can absolutely prove that what the DA did was wrong… Which it was, I mean we can just call the Mayor up and get him out pronto!"

"Except," Nick pointed out, "the fact that a judge previously cleared what he did as legally valid. And I mean it's been an open secret that Wassermaim's part of Bellwether's old crew, but the Mayor hasn't tried to fire him yet 'cause there's never been anything to prove it."

"Yes, but surely with what he's just done…" Judy began, only for Fenneko to cut her off.

"-He's actually _gained_ support," she said, opening up preddit and scrolling through the comments. "As far as the common internet user knows, some school kit came in with these things that terrify them and was taken away, looking calm if not smug as he went." There was a long pause as she scrolled down, the group giving each other worried looks as they read the comments. "Even if the truth about his holding situation becomes apparent, it's unlikely to change public opinion. After all, while Zootopia has very strong youth justice laws, things like this are quite similar to what might happen in the States and even Canidea for really serious crimes. Given the particular notoriety of what he was caught with, I'm not sure if we can receive much sympathy from the general public."

"Well," Retusko began. "Why don't we start our own story? The way I saw it, the police believed that a mammal wasn't responsible for these things, was happy with the arrangement they were giving him, but then he barged in and overruled them all. From what I gather, there's a bit of a sob story you could play up too, given that he only just got his father back."

"Yeah," Judy agreed. "We can scream out that he's an antivulpite and make him so unpopular that the mayor is itching to drop him."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Haida said. "Listen, I don't doubt that he doesn't like preds and stuff after seeing him. But do you know what I'd think if I was just working in an office, hear that that a fox was arrested for handling nighthowlers, then tried to plead the whole fox discrimination thing? I'd be mad at that fox! I had to struggle and suffer through the first Nighthowler plot, scared I'd turn and hurt others, all while getting shouted at or being given dodgy looks, especially at the end. To hear that a fellow pred was caught with them fair and square, then to hear him claiming that it's all speciesism against him. Well, I'd hope he was sent away for even longer, all while feeling sorry for all the other foxes who he was giving a bad name to. Unless you have some direct proof, and I would be happy to say what I saw just for the record, playing the fox card is really going to backfire on you."

"I'm a fox," Skye said, "and I'm afraid I pretty much agree with you too."

Nick nodded. "Yeah, and just remember who we're fighting against here," he said, rubbing his temple. "If you take him at face value, what he's arguing for isn't bad and does make sense. Treat the criminal like a criminal, I'm putting my foot down given how much this stuff made the city suffer before; I'm not a speciesist, I'm just enforcing the laws and would do it to anyone equally. The trouble for us is that he reframes our argument, suddenly questioning us on something we didn't even consider was up for debate and considered a given, making us stumble. 'Oh, you're not happy about enforcing those laws? So, you're happy to let a terrorist go? You're happy to put other preds at risk? You're saying that because he's a fox, any attempt to treat him to the same standards means I'm an antivulpite? You're saying that the law should treat some mammals differently to others?' Objectively those are all perfectly fair points. Objectively he's actually correct, and that makes him very hard to beat."

"Yeah," Finnick said. "It's like when you asked me whether I was willing to completely change myself and all for my vix. You expected me to answer that straight. Instead, I asked why it was us boys who had to change for the girlies, something you was certain was the way things were always done. What did you say back," he said, chuckling a little. "Finn, you're doin' it wrong. Finn, stawp… Finn, you know what I mean. Finn, hawlp plz..."

Nick grumbled. "Yes, point taken."

Haida nodded. "Yeah. To be fair Nick, that whole change talk of yours may have come across with a tone of internalised misandry."

"Really…?" Judy asked, an eyebrow rising.

"Hey," he pointed out, frowning. "First off, serious thing with hyenas. Secondly, you're saying that girls can't have unrealistic expectations and unfair biases against boys, which said boys then feel they have to meet?"

"No," Judy said. "I mean…" She paused, slapping her face with her paws. "Dammit. It does work."

"Yeah," Haida noted. "I wasn't even trying then."

"Unlike Wassermaim, who's pretty much made it into an art form," Nick said. "We need the perfect answers or he'll flip us into a corner where we're the ones in the wrong. Then he can just shrug us away, call us stupid, and a lot of people would believe him as he objectively makes perfect sense. Heck, I'm pretty sure that a perfectly fair mammal could easily act the same way, raising all the same points. The only reason I know that's not what he is is because I saw him enjoy it. It wasn't just doing his duty, it was that he was getting to hurt Kris, a fox. But we have to make others believe that."

Judy sighed, while Fenneko nodded. "If you're going to start a scheme to turn the public against him and win public support for our cause, you're going to have to have some pretty big evidence."

Retsuko nodded, bringing up her phone. "Like a video of the whole argument that I recorded?"

Fenneko smiled. "That's some pretty big evidence," she said, as Judy did a binky from excitement.

"YES!" she said, jumping over and glomping Retsuko.

"Woah… Thanks there."

"No," came a new voice, as Dr Silverfox walked over. "Thank _you_," he said, a smile growing on his face. She smiled, before handing her phone to Fenneko, the vixen watching the exchange through and through.

"A little bit of editing, and we can have an excellent bit of propaganda to start moving out with. Naturally though we will have to capitalise on this. Getting a public protest going will be an interesting challenge, but one that I sort of relish. I can get in contact with the regular crowd who always turns up to any type of protest, plus a bunch who would be eager to campaign against the current DA in general or this set of affairs in particular. I believe a certain EweTuber called Anton Pounceheart has had a long feud with our DA, and a strong reputation after calling out the nighthowler conspiracy itself."

Judy nodded. "He's quite well known in Bunnyburrow, though not exactly for the right reasons. He's been organising full on boycotts of our regions' produce and businesses, trying to force the council to ban the Fox-Away brand; we're one of the few places that lets them set up and manufacture, and where their corporate HQ is." She looked down and frowned. "You hear other farmers grumbling about lower prices for berry crops and stuff, blaming him. -I can't really misgive him for it, but it shows he has influence."

Fenneko nodded. "We get the alternative media on our side, though I've also got my sights on the regular media too. Pounceheart isn't the only pred that doesn't like him, there's also a certain bank CEO with some major ties to ZNN who he's had a thing against. If we can get the ball rolling, get our edited video trending, if not going viral, we can egg on the Mayor to kick that hippo out. But, according to Mr Fox there, opinions count for nothing if we don't have anything solid on him."

Nick nodded. "So, rock-solid proof that he was connected with Dawn Bellwether. Everything so far was circumstantial." He paused, before looking down glumly. "The ZPD didn't get anything on him for that, so I don't know what we can do."

Finnick put his paw up.

"-Without resorting to physical violence."

Finnick put his paw down.

"Any other, _legal_, ideas?"

Mr Fox and Fenneko grumbled.

"Other than getting Dawn herself to confess," Judy said, "no. That's probably a bust from the start."

"Again, about my previous idea," Mr Fox began, "which involved the retrieval of incriminating items from his possession in a high stakes all or nothing mission… What about tricking him into confessing something?"

"So, what," Haida began. "Getting him drunk? You need to get him drunk first."

"Well," Mr Fox said, "maybe a devious set-up involving pipes, switcharoos and other cunning tricks and hustles could get him drunk and me not drunk. Then, I press further, and he begins to spill his secrets. All while one of us records it from afar."

Fenneko nodded. "An interesting proposal, with only one minor flaw."

"Which is?"

"I find it unlikely he'd get into a heavy drinking contest against a fox, especially as he gets more tipsy and you don't."

"Well, maybe not any fox… but this fox!"

"The fox that was right there arguing with him," Nick pointed out. "I don't think any of us can handle this. So unless any of you have a heavyweight prey friend who could be seen in a social place like this, then we're out of luck."

…

"So, anti-Wassermaim public opinion push. Yea or nea?" Fenneko asked.

Nick paused and huffed. "Yes, no, I don't know! I mean, now I want to focus back on getting Weaselton, but we only think he's the prime suspect because of an anonymous tip we can't prove happened."

"So," Skye said, "why don't us civilians just go to the Head, en-masse, explain what we're doing and ask for her to confirm it? Then, hopefully, we'll have something firm to go on."

Judy shook her head. "Skye, the Youth Justice laws probably mean that she could lose her job if she tells us. We're basically going up there and asking her to risk sacrificing her entire career, one she's put decades of work into, all to confirm a hunch. It could destroy her. I mean, I might be willing to risk my badge, but I can't ask her to do that."

"Oh," the swift fox noted. "These must be tough laws."

"They're youth protection laws and she's a teacher," Judy said.

"Yes," Dr Silverfox hissed bitterly, cutting in. "'Youth protection' laws which you keep on saying are there for protecting kids, but are not helping us protect mine! If you're not going to ask her about it, why don't I just go and ask her about it?"

Judy frowned. "I don't think those laws were made with this sort of situation in mind. I… I'm not going to say that I understand what you're going through. But she's scared that she can't tell anyone, due to facing a law that, if she does, could take everything from her." She paused and sighed. "She's probably worried out of her mind by all of this, not able to tell anyone or get any help what-so-ever."

"-What about a physiatrist?"

…

All eyes slowly turned to one mammal in the room. Jack Savage. He shrugged. "I mean, those guys or lawyers are supposed to be confidential. She could talk to them about it fairly safely, couldn't she?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah. Client and patient confidentiality. In cases where someone is legally required to keep something a secret, they can still talk to professionals like that. But Jack, that means that _they_ can't tell us."

"What happens if we just listen in?"

"That's a breach of trust on our end, Jack," Judy pointed out. "For a start, as no parties know that they are being recorded, we can't use this as evidence. Secondly, we'd utterly betray the trust of Ash's and Nick's therapist or Mr Fox's lawyer."

"...Oh, right then."

"-Hang on," Retsuko asked, putting her paw up. "This isn't like the stuff to get Wassermaim out. We don't need this to stand up in court, do we? We just want it to confirm that the original call was against Ash."

"That's actually correct, but there's still the second point," Judy said. "I mean, unless one of us is a therapist or a lawyer and is willing to betray our profession…"

"-Or pretends to be a therapist or a lawyer," Jack pointed out.

"Jack…" Skye began. "Is this going somewhere?"

He looked back and stood tall, walking out into the crowd. "Ahem, Skye, I think you'll find that it is. Listen, I've been trying to do more, be more, for a while now. This is going to be a complication investigation, under the radar, and potentially involving a bunch of strange and dangerous mammals. We might need someone to go undercover, to get in close, and to really dig up the dirt on them. For that, someone who is able to take on various different roles and roll with them whatever may happen. Someone adept at improv, happy to wear the skin of someone else, someone who can be your secret undercover agent! Judy Hopps, Dr Silverfox, _Agent_ Jack Savage is at your service."

…

"Jack," Nick said, a paw and finger coming up. "Isn't that the plot of Team America: World Police?"

He leant over, pinched Finnick's shades from his head and slipped them on, his face oozing cool as he did so. "America? Cuss yeah!"

.

.

…

"Skye," Judy began, looking over at the vixen. "Seriously. What have you done with him?"

She just looked confused, holding her paws out. "I don't know. But, I mean, he's volunteering. That's good right?"

"Not if it's for something illegal."

"Well, maybe there's a sweet spot," he suggested. "A profession it isn't that illegal to interpret, who I can act as, and in doing so safely exude confirmation from her on this matter."

Judy looked at him skeptically. "That's still pretty dodgy."

"Maybe it is," Dr Silverfox noted, his voice tired. "But my son is on the way to prison right now so you know what? Honestly, I don't give a damn."

"I…" Judy began, before sighing. "Right. Of course, it's just that it's other people and not me that I'm risking. And that's even if there is a profession that fits all these roles."

Jack smiled. "I think there is," he said, bringing his paws together and chuckling evilly. Everyone looked at him, not sure if this was good or bad, but he eventually cut himself off. "Ahem. Also, I could act in a fashion that could draw out Wassermaim's confession as well."

"But won't he remember you?" Skye asked, looking down at him.

"Well, here's the thing about your memory," Jack explained. "It's usually pretty cuss. That's something I know from writing plays. Say you want to sneak in something that flies under the audience's radar, but points towards a big twist or reveal at the end. Now usually you can't spell it out because that makes it too obvious. However, if you place it as a random little mention in a spoken line or in the background, the audience is likely to forget it. As a result, you have to flag it, and I tend to use two options to do that. You either open a mystery or create something that's odd and stands out from the start, that hangs on people's minds or brings them a laugh but who's meaning can only become clear at the reveal…

"-Oooh," she said. "Like how Nick laughed on first seeing Haida, we all figured that something was up, and it turned out to be that he knew why there's a load of oddly familiar hyena dolls out there."

Jack couldn't help but binky in joy. "Yes! Got it in one, Skye. If, of course, all those events were set up in a play or performance or stuff. You could say the same about Fenneko telling Finnick to remember that thing about the Kits for Cash scandal. And given that I've just repeated that, if anyone were watching us they'd double remember that."

"Question?" Fenneko asked.

"Yup."

"No, not for you," she said, looking over to Haida as he facepawed. He brought out a carrot pen, played his recording, Fenneko laughed, he said it was not funny, she kept on laughing, then they all turned back to Jack.

"Now, the other method is the story method. You make a story or notable thing out of it. This doesn't create an initial mystery; most of the time it comes across as nice worldbuilding. Take the carving of the chess pieces with the rock hammers over the ages, then the talk of the blue waters off the coast of Zihuatanjo and the stone under the oak tree in Buxton… Or, as a counter example, the talk of Pai Mei and the five point paw exploding heart technique. Or maybe even the cutaway to the fourteen fists of McClusky where you see the first use of that flamethrower. Anyway, you remember that story, in doing so remembering the bits in it, and when one of those bits pops back into reality you know exactly where it came from."

"Right," she said, "so logically one of those two… -Ah! Let me guess, he was focussed on arguing with Bogo, against Kris and his father, and against Nick, picking on Judy at the end. So, he wouldn't be that clear about who the others are. He'd likely remember that there were some foxes, a red panda, a hyena with a notable underbite and a large, striped, bunny! Your size and stripes would be the flag!"

Jack looked back at her like a father looking on at his kits first steps. "Yes. And, if I dye out my stripes…"

"There's no way he'd connect you with all the others!"

Judy stepped forward. "Okay, _secret agent_ Jack…" she said, still a bit sceptical. "So, you're saying that you'll somehow confirm whether the call was against Ash or not. You'll also, somehow, convincingly, outdrink a hippo."

"Via the magic of acting!"

"Actually," Haida spoke. "I think I do know someone who can out drink that hippo and would really want to help us out."

"Me too!" Retsuko realised.

"And so do I," Fenneko said. "It's quite obvious when you think about it."

Jack paused, mouth agape, before shaking it off. "No worries then, it means that secret agent Jack can be reserved for other occasions or actions against our heinously horrendous hippopotamus. I could also go up against that weasel's roommate, if you want. Heck, give me these roles!"

"I…" Judy began, before pausing. "Okay, it means that you can do stuff that Nick and I can't do; not without jeopardizing our careers at least. But still, how will you stay safe? Heck, how will we keep in contact with you?"

"Well," Skye said, putting her paw up. "I do have a lot of skills with mechanics and electronics." There was a pause, then a smile. "You can call me 'S'"

"I like it," Jack said. "Also, I GET SPY GADGETS!"

"Cuss yeah you do," she said, looking up to Judy. "I can do a lot of the work myself, though time is limited. I mean, if it wasn't I'm sure I could call up my sister and get some military grade stuff in. That or there's this weapons specialist, another swift fox who she briefly set me up with once, who she freed from a sort of similar situation to this; even if he didn't owe her or have some lingering feelings about me, he'd most likely help Kris out anyway. But he might be stuck miles away and it could take him days or months to come over, if he can. Thankfully, I do happen to know a _different_ mammal who lives in the city and could start to help us from day one. I did some build-offs with her a year back or so. Heck, she probably has most of the stuff we need just lying around the place! We all go to her place and together we can get Jack kitted up for whatever mission we need."

Judy looked on. She still felt a bit unsure, but she couldn't help but let a little grin begin to grow on her face. "You know, we might have a plan out of all of this!"

"You know what," Mr Fox said, as he walked over. "I think we do! What we have here is a multi-fronted, multi-mammaled, highly complex plan designed to do everything it can to get my nephew out of his current predicament. Along the way, it makes in a variety of mammals and makes the best use of all their talents and skills! Judy Hopps, _Oryctolagus cuniculus, _the queen on our chessboard and the heavy police hitter and driving force in this crusade for justice. Not to belittle Nick Wilde, _Vulpes vulpes, _either. Talented, sly, and cunning as a fox, he and his police partner are the perfect mammals to navigate the upcoming legal and investigative minefield!"

The pair nodded confidently, as Mr Fox moved on. "The other great front of this battle is the social media squabble for the soul of this city. Fenneko and Finnick, _Vulpes zerda _and _Vulpes zerda_, social media scanner and manipulator and her trusty heavy hitting backup. They can turn everyone they can against the corrupt mammal who's most responsible for this current mess."

The two fennecs nodded their heads, Fenneko speaking. "I'll begin our social media campaign in earnest, while also looking out for any more clues on the whereabouts of our weasel. Moreover, I can study the movements of both our school principal and our horrendous hippopotamus, finding places in which to intercept them and extract our information."

Mr Fox smiled, then stepped over to the next pair. "Assisting both sides will be the method acting and mechanics of Jack and Skye, _Lepus flavigularis_ and _Vulpes velox_. Both are some of the best at what they can do, and they will be there for when they're needed, helping to gather up the incriminating intel from the other side."

…

"What about us?" Retsuko asked.

"-Haida and Retsuko. _Crocuta crocuta_ and _Ailurus fulgens fulgens…_"

"_-Ailurus fulgens __styani_," she corrected, grumbling.

"My apologies," Mr Fox said. "You have… -Excellent connections, which will aid in supplying the team with the talent you need. After all, you'll provide the mammal who will aid in the first strike against our Hippo. A strike that we can only make thanks to your connection to Fenneko. Apart from that, you'll be there to assist and support the rest of them along the way with your unique insights and perspectives. Maybe you don't get the star billing, but you're the mortar that holds the bricks of this investigation together!""

"And what about me?" Ash asked.

Mr Fox paused, sighing, before resting his paw on his son's shoulder. "Listen, if someone out there is after you, I want to keep you safe."

"I… I want to be safe too," he said. "After all, what if they try and put nighthowlers in my locker again?"

"Don't worry about that," Nick said.

"Yeah," Skye agreed. "I think I can work out something to help you there."

Ash nodded. "Thanks. But I still want to fight. Kris helped me when I was a jerk to him, then we became friends. I can't not help him back."

Mr Fox paused, thinking, before smiling. "We'll find a space for you," he said.

His mother looked worried but sighed, walking up to him. "And maybe you can help him on the school front. When you go back, get your friends on board, maybe see if they heard anything. And, sometimes, just being there for the mammal in trouble is the best thing you can be."

"Ash," Dr Silverfox said, stepping forward. His nephew turned to face him. "Let's be there for him, make sure he knows we're there for him. He…" he paused, sniffing a bit. "I dread to think about what he's going through. But let's make sure he knows that we're there for him, every step of the way."

Ash nodded and stepped forward, holding onto his uncle, only to pause. He let go slightly and looked over to one of the new mammals. "Hey, you said you spent time in Juvie, didn't you?"

Finnick's ears twitched a bit, before he nodded. "Yup," he said, shrugging. "Whole second half of my second decade."

"What…" Dr Silverfox began, "-what was it like?"

There was a long pause, before the fennec sighed. "I mean, this ain't like that, you understand? I was put away, what… Two decades ago? Yeah, and a lot has changed since then. I was thrown into a smelly city pen on the border between Sahara and Central. That place was old, and I mean old. Ever seen _Clawshank?_ 'Cause that's the kind of place my pen used to look like." He went quiet as one of his ears flicked, and he brought up a paw to rub between his eyes before stiffening his lip.

"Being a smaller mammal, I had a little cell right on the bottom floor by the tables and stuff, which meant no peace and quiet whatsoever. I mean, bar the dead of night a jail like that is always loud, like livin' next to a freeway loud, and I have giant ears and a sleep schedule that means I tend to have a reverse siesta in the small hours. They didn't care 'bout that, and with all those other inmates on rec time on the ground floor right by me I couldn't get an earlier night even if I was dumb enough to try. So I was tired all the time, I had a wire mesh door locking me in with nothing but a rusty bunk, a metal toilet-sink thingy and a tiny shelf with what little I had to my name. Every morning I was woken up, and I'd remember just how much it stank there with all those musky mammals, and then we'd march off to breakfast which for me would be some porridg-bleuaaahhh..."

His words morphed into a gag and he broke off a little before shaking his head. "Cuss me, just the thought of that crap makes me wanna chuck. I didn't like it when I got in, never wanted to eat it again when I got out, and time don't heal all wounds. But anyways then we'd go to school, which was still boring but the most interesting thing there, 'part from when some fight might kick off. They weren't that common though. We'd have lunch, then an hour of outdoor rec, then some more school. Some time in there they might fit in a meeting with a councillor once a week. Then you had chores to do or hygiene stuff, then finally dinner and rec time. I mean, I paid attention in that school cuz' it might get you into the TV club during rec, let you borrow more books, getting good grades gave you a little tip in your dispensary which I needed as my family didn't want cuss to do with me after I 'tarnished their honour'. Heck, after my first six months I even got myself a little radio. Mam, did I love that thing. But yeah, that was my life all that time. It was boring, sometimes it was scary, the food was crap, everything was uncomfortable, I hated every part of it. But, even as I was getting out, things were changing, you understand?"

"Understand," Dr Silverfox, his whole body trembling and his lips wavering, said, before bursting into tears. "Please! Tell me that things have changed!" Finnick's eyes widened as the older tod collapsed on his knees in front of him and gripped him by his shoulders. "My son can't be going there! Please tell me that! It can't be like that anymore… It can't be!"

"HEY," Finnick shouted, shoving him off. "Keep it together old Mam! I said things ain't like that anymore."

"Go gentle on him," someone scolded from the side, and he turned to see a red panda looking at him. "Maybe you didn't need to go so detailed before?"

The hyena sitting next to her nodded his head in agreement. "You kind of did go over-the-top. I mean, I was getting the moving feels and stuff, and I'm the one who _doesn't_ have a kit going there."

"Hey, he asked me to give the details. 'Sides, that kit ain't going there, you hear?" Finnick huffed.

"He isn't?" Dr Silverfox asked weakly.

"They closed that place not long after I left, what with all the new youth justice laws and stuff. Now, back then, you had the long cons like me but most cons there were in for a number of months that you could count on your paws. I'd say two out of three were in for a year or less, and it included all the petty thieves and first time bullies and trespassers and all sorts. The city chose to stop sending them there and built a brand new place outta town for all the long timers like me… Now I've never seen it, I met a guy a while back who went to both and said the new place was miles better. Cleaner, quieter, just much nicer. He said it was like night and day…"

"Oh thank god…"

"Yeah, but it's still a prison, and you don't have all the wobbly kneed first timers padding out the ranks. It's long termers like me. Now, I won't lie, that means you bump into the nasty thugs and stuff a lot more. But I mean you'd have crazy new fish and chill longer termers, cuss I was one of the latter. Listen, I said it had changed and I meant it. It's not hell he's going to, it's prison. But I guess if he does what they tell him to, he'll survive."

Dr Silverfox trembled, but nodded. "He… He's clever… He's sensible…"

Finnick nodded. "Believe me, that'll go a long way," he said. He backed off, pausing as he noticed Fenneko walking up to him. He showed her the palm of his paw and she stopped, backing off a bit as he took a breath in and out. He paused though, then looked past her to the computer setup, a certain mammal at it. "Hey, kit! What you up to?"

Ash looked up, then down again. "I wanted to see," he said, as he typed something into the browser. "After all, it was supposed to be my home for the next six months, wasn't it?" He changed the tab and the projector showed a Zoogle Maps image, Ash entering a search. The crowd watched as they zoomed away from the city, up beyond the edges of the climate districts, over the meadowlands, past the Kula Reservoir and Cliffside Asylum and even past the small city of Haverholt before finally focussing on a flat piece of green land. The outsides were marked with concentric squares going in, the lines of the patrol routes between them visible, while penned inside were identical barren grey buildings, each with their own small yards.

Ash looked on with a nervous expression on his face, ever changing and tweaking with his thoughts. Dr Silverfox shied away, wincing in pain. The rest of the crowd just looked on with a sombre expression.

Above it all, a simple title spelled out three stark words.

Zootopia Youth Penitentiary.

Meanwhile, not far away from them all, a worried silver fox paced back and forth in his cell. He'd meditated for a while and it had helped, most of this long time slowly drifting away. But everything had its limits and he'd reached them not long before. He wasn't sure what the time was or how much longer he had to wait. The rational part of him told him that it would happen when it would happen. It was the side that he wanted to win, but the other sides were slowly beating it.

It all faded into irrelevance though as a set of cold hard knocks rang out on his cell door. "Get ready," a cold stranger's voice spoke. "It's time."


	54. An Anonymous Vulpine 10

**Chapter 10**

.

Kris closed his eyes and breathed slowly as the door was unlocked. A lion officer stood ahead of him, his expression firm and unyielding. "Paws out," he said, the young fox complying. He watched as the cuffs were placed on him and were tightened, before a heavy paw on his shoulder pushed him along. He couldn't help but think that he wanted to ask some questions, yet at the same time he couldn't really think of any. In any case, his read of the situation was that it was best to keep quiet and go along with it. Endure it until those on the outside could help him. It had been the same when his father had been ill, when he'd had to put his faith in the vets. Those terrible little thoughts and worries that had dogged him, telling him that they might fail, had been false. Today, he had Nick and Judy and his families on his side and they would get him out of here, he was sure of it. Until then, he could endure it silently and proudly like a mature mammal.

Turning a corner, he was faced with what the alternative was, and it was not pretty. Another guard was handling another prisoner, a small wolf pup who wasn't that much taller than Kris was himself. He must have only been ten, as that was the minimum, but he looked like he was eight or so and was acting like he was half that age. Howling and crying, shaking left to right with tears streaming from his eyes, he tried to yank himself away from the escorting guard. "I DON'T WANNA GO!"

"-Stand still!"

"I DON'T WANNA GO!"

"Right then," the guard hissed, "final warning before I get to scruff you."

"CUSS OFF!" He yelled, flailing his cuffed arms at him and diving in to take a bite of his arm. The officer backed off, barely missing the bite, as the pup made a break for it. He only made it a few steps before Kris' guard charged out and tackled him to the floor, one paw pushing down on the centre of his back and the other gripped his scruff, pulling it up tight. Kris cringed back from the action while the pup went limp, his free legs and cuffed arms only able to jiggle weakly, like a caught fish flopping around on the ground.

But oh, how he flopped, still crying and murmuring out, saying he did nothing wrong or he was sorry or it wasn't his fault. The guards just distanced themselves from him, not really looking as one grabbed a muzzle and lifted it over his snout. "You're lucky you didn't try that where you're going, murderer," one spoke, as he pulled the straps tight and began doing them up so he couldn't take the thing off.

"I'm not…" he sniffled. "I'm not…"

"Now listen pup," they said as they began hauling him to his feet again, struggling as he kicked and fought this way and that. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Make your mind up now."

They let go and he stumbled to the floor before getting up. He shook and cried, his tail dropped between his legs, but he stood still. "Good," the other said. "Maybe you should be more like your new friends here. They know how to behave."

Kris suddenly realised two things. The first was that the officer was looking at him, the second was that there was another prisoner in front of the scared pup. Unlike the two of them, he was a prey mammal, a tapir that Kris guessed was a few years older than he was and had decidedly had enough of the young pup's antics.

"-For criminals," the other guard muttered, before reaching over and grabbing a long chain. He threaded it through the tapir's cuffs, then the wolf pup's, then Kris's own before giving the order for them to walk forward. One of them stood by the crying pup, guiding if not pushing him along as they exited the room and walked down a cold corridor. Left here, right there, and then they stepped out of a door and right up into the back of a waiting minibus. Were it not for the small hanging chains on the back of the seats and the metal grating on the windows and behind the front seat, Kris could swear that it was just like the ones various schools had ferried him around in all his life.

Up the centre they went until reaching the last full row before the side door, where they were guided to their seats. The tapir had the solo window seat on the right hand side, sighing with relief as he got the isolation and leg room. The guard took a chain from the window pillar and locked him up before turning to the two canines. Kris realised they'd be sitting together, their double seat already wound up to a safe height for them, and he sat down in his window seat while the fretful pup was ordered up next to him. A guard ended up guiding him into place before doing up their binding chains. He moved back to a different seat in their compartment, knocked on the screen in front of them and together they waited.

Kris just had a brick wall to look at him on his left and the muzzled up pup on his right; he couldn't help but notice how messy his fur was or how threadbare some of his clothes were. Their gaze met for a second or two before he scowled, before elbowing Kris hard in the ribs.

Or rather trying to. The silver fox saw it coming and jolted forward, letting the elbow glide behind him before pinning it to the seat with his back. One foot out front and raised high, pressing him back into the limb, he looked back at the pup as he tried to jostle, seemingly forgetting the state of his paws. "Please don't," Kris said, keeping calm.

The pup growled a bit, his teeth baring.

"-I know karate," Kris warned, quietly and blanky. "I don't want to have to use it." First part was the truth, the second part a lie given that he'd already used a little bit of it to stop the pup's attack. He'd give himself a pass there, these were pretty exceptional circumstances, and if he could avoid a fight with the highly emotional pup then that would be in everyone's favour. It did have an effect, the wolf's furious face turning into one of gutterral fear. "I don't want to harm you. I don't want to be here, neither do you. Let's not make it so we don't want to be here even less," Kris said calmly, trying to get him to back down. He made the first big move and released the elbow, the wolf immediately withdrawing it. He kept a wary look on him as he shuffled away and ducked down, trying to bury his muzzled face in his cuffed paws.

As that happened the bus started up and, with a jolt, off they went. Kris looked out of the side window as they pulled out into the traffic, slowly making their way through the city centre. He found himself drawn to all the mammals out there, just walking around and minding their own lives, oblivious. A few glanced at the bus and then looked away. The bus windows were dark on the inside, and he was guessing that they were heavily tinted outside. Still, the few times that his eyes and those of a stranger seemed to meet sent a chill down his spine.

Slowly, their pace began to pick up, and it was the buildings that Kris found himself looking at instead. All so big and tall compared to where he grew up, monolithic yet vibrant in their own way. Many of the newer buildings had balconies jutting out, some holding kids toys or planting material or even wrapped up into little private shelters.

They left them all behind before diving through the sliver of green belt between Savannah Central and the Rainforest District; he peered out to see if he could spot his house or even Ash's. Nothing came from it, and soon they were winding through the rainforest, the visibility crashing as they hit one of the main downpour periods, scheduled in the fifteen minutes before five o'clock and the start of the evening rush hour. With nothing much to see, especially as they began to hit the growing traffic, he looked back to his two companions. The wolf had just been trying to curl up and was sniffing, the whimpers coming from him pitiable.

"You okay?" he asked, moving his paws over.

The pup snapped his head over to him, glaring angrily as he scooted further away, growling as he did so. There was a shout from the guard in front and he shut up, but not before giving Kris a warning glare. The warning glare of a scared child who was going to stand up to the undefeatable grown up in front of him, but a warning glare nonetheless.

"I'm not okay too," Kris said, looking down. "But keep calm and stay nice, things will get better."

His head tilted a little. "W-w-will they…"

"-No they won't," came a voice from the other side. Kris looked up to see the tapir looking at them, a tired look on his face. "Listen pup, we're criminals, we're going to prison. Suck it up and do your time."

The pup began sniffing again as Kris gave the prey mammal a cold look. "I'm trying to make him feel better."

The tapir blew some air. "Little bits of charity ain't gonna help you anymore. You've done what you've done and you have to do what you have to do. He doesn't need to feel better, he needs to mam up and not cry like a baby."

Kris' eyes narrowed a bit in annoyance. "You do see that he's a young pup."

"Yeah," he said indignantly. "You do know where we're going, right? You think you're trying to help him? I'm helping him too, and everyone else who doesn't want to deal with a screamer for the next two years."

"T-two years?" the pup asked, jumping up and looking at him. "I-I-I get out in two years, not ten?"

The tapir groaned. "No, you idiot, I get out in two years as I did a bad thing. You get out in ten as you did a badder thing. Now suck it up and grow up, criminal, if you want to make it out the other side at all."

The pup wavered for a second or two before sniffing, then breaking down into full on sobs. Kris couldn't help but think how they were the cries of a young child desperate for his mother, mouth (trying to be) wide open and tears streaming. He shifted his paws over and held them on his leg as they drove on.

Past the outskirts, past the Meadowlands and into the surrounding timber forests. The wolf went silent and Kris watched as they rose up and up, racing along the freeway, past a massive ship lift and huge electrical equipment, up through a tunnel and then along the edge of a long and narrow reservoir. They pulled back in and skirted around the edge of a nice looking town on its shores, before turning off the freeway and rolling down the country roads. A left here, a right there, and they slowed, slowly rolling up to a security checkpoint. Kris took a breath in and out and, feeling like he was about to dive off of the tallest board into the pool, braced himself. There were multiple lines of fencing, topped with razor wire, with guard posts and officers with guns walking about. Behind them were sets of cold, grey blocks, the only thing breaking off the monotony being a low slung building to one side, its small courtyard filled with nursery style play equipment. It didn't make much difference though. He was here, prison.

The bus jolted a little and in they went, through the wires and gates and then along the internal roads, finally pulling up into a small pen area. To his other side, he glanced out and spotted a bunch of mammals tending to the grounds, clad in black and white striped uniforms as if they were prisoners out of a cartoon.

"Welcome to your new home boys," the guard at the front of the bus spoke, before telling them what was going to happen next and how bad it would be if they caused any funny business. He kept an eye on the wolf pup as he said it, the kid shaking slightly and glancing around fretfully. The chains fastening them to the seats in front were undone, the one to the tapir held tightly, and then they were led off and out through the side door. Kris stepped onto the warm, coarse tarmac and glanced around, looking at the surrounding enclosures as he was taken inside. He crossed the threshold, the air seemed cooler, and they were led into a blank looking holding cell and uncuffed. "Now I'm going to unmuzzle you," he spoke to the pup. "But I can have it put right onto you. Understand, boy?"

He weakly nodded and the device was removed. The guard left, the bullet proof screen was slid back in place, and the three of them were just left to sit down. Alone. The quiet was palpable, as if nobody wanted to break the dreadful tension in case something terrible was about to happen. All they knew was that they were in here for orientation and that they should wait and stay quiet.

Or else.

…

"Cuss it," the tapir spoke, before standing up decisively. Kris looked at him, gauging his face. He didn't seem angry or mad, or even that determined. Rather, his mood seemed to be dominated by a non-chalantness to the whole occasion, as if it were something that just had to be done, whatever it was. Kris moved his paws into a position where they could spring into action, just in case, while also glancing to the pup. He also seemed to think that something bad was about to go down, so Kris added putting himself between the two into things that he might have to do. He didn't like the kid, not by a long shot, but he didn't like bullies or senseless violence either.

The tapir paused, their eyes meeting, and his narrowed. "What you looking at, _fox?_"

The tone that was said in; Kris had only begun to hear it about a year ago, when he'd moved to this city, and it was something quite unique in terms of how much he didn't like it. It took what was normal and everyday for him, what was him, and told him that it was filth, that it made him lesser, that he was so many things he was not, that his species was not, and that all that should be seen instead were some idiotic lies. Lies that would be championed by bigots as an excuse to try and bully him, or believed by idiots and taken as a reason to hurt him. It was nonsense all the way through and could be ignored, he knew that, but it hurt nonetheless. The unavoidable truth was that they looked down on him not due to how he was or what he did, but because he was born a fox and they despised that.

So, was this it? Was this tapir an actual mad as hell fox hater and about to do it? He probably expected to be able to blame Kris for it all, whatever happened, so the silver fox reasoned that he might have to play this smart. Keep on the defensive and deflective, making sure that whenever a guard might show up they could see who was leading this. "Just wondering what you're planning to do," he spoke, his eyes locked on and his body ready.

The tapir scowled. "Taking a dump, perv. So look away."

Kris immediately felt the tension leave his body and had to actively stop himself laughing from the release. "Sorry," he said, sliding to the edge of his bench and turning away as the mammal sat down on the open toilet. After all, it had been a long journey, hadn't it. Made sense for him to need the toilet, especially seeing as the processing was taking a while.

Still, he kept his ears peeled, to his displeasure, as the tapir turned out to be entirely sincere in his words, before turning back on hearing the sound of a flush. They carried on sitting in awkward silence, the boredom getting to him. Kris couldn't help but think about how confrontational he'd been just then. He'd naturally heard a few things about prison in general discourse, about how violent or not violent it was, and it worried him a little that he'd automatically swung to the worst end of that scale. Something to keep an eye on, for sure, he had to make all the right decisions here to get through and couldn't afford to make mistakes like that. He closed his eyes and entered a light meditation, still thinking it best to stay a little alert, and tried to let the time slip by.

The pup was bored too, but to everyone's displeasure he made it known. Pacing and then verbalising how he felt in the most literal manner possible. "Bored… bored… bored…"

"Shut up," the tapir muttered, making the pup freeze. Kris wondered if something was about to go down again, wondering the best strategy to keep them apart, wondering if this was just another over reaction, only for a guard to arrive and solve any problem before it began.

"Okay prisoners," she spoke, walking into view. She was a middle aged serval with a bored looking expression on her muzzle. Kris noticed it twitch as she looked into the cell, only for her to carry on. "We're going to play you the orientation video. You'll then be taken one at a time through processing before being put into your cells. I want no talking, no fidgeting and no funny business. Let's make it easy on all of us here."

Kris nodded back along with the others as she walked off, returning with an old cart, a portable television sitting on top. It had an in-built VCR player, and he looked on as she put in a battered old tape and pressed play.

What followed was a video that was a decade and a half old and showing it, not least with all the little video and audio glitches that fizzled in and out as it went on. A menagerie of mammals, supposedly volunteering prisoners, were shown arriving and waiting in the holding cell before being picked out one by one. They were shown placing personal belongings, such as money, an old fashioned iPawd and a Noyakia brick phone into an envelope and then signing a form. Pictures of family members (Kris realised that he didn't have one with his father, why would he though, he was just going to school this morning) and other such valuable mementos were placed in a clear pack with their own form, the monotone narrator stating that they would be inspected and then returned if approved. If they didn't, they'd be stashed with the rest. Then the prisoner would go behind a curtain to undress, all clothes going into a tray while they emerged in a pair of prison briefs. The serval spoke up. "We don't give them out any more, keep your ones on." Then the prisoner sat down on a chair and was inspected. A few mammals went through this process: a ram was shown getting their wool shawn and the tips of their horns blunted; a tiger had their claw tips clipped off; a porcupine having the same thing done to their spines; an unkempt bear had the messy fur trimmed neatly while a platypus had the spurs on his feet sealed with a specialised rubber syringe.

"-Bet the last one was an actor," the tapir muttered, only for the guard to draw him to attention with a rap of her truncheon on the plastic wall.

The prisoner then walked through a full body scanner, was waved down with a metal detector and had a sniffer mammal inspect him, before heading to the showers (the guard stating that you handed over your underwear here). It cut to a surprisingly neat looking mammal coming out the other end (though the mention of a disposable fur brush being provided made him think that there was a fur dryer on the way through), a black bar put in place. He was then sprayed down with anti-flea medication, a large drip of powerful stuff placed on the nape of their neck for good measure. They were then given the uniform, the sizes noted down, before having their mugshot taken and being taken into a room where their details and medical history would be reviewed. Finally, a few guides and self help books were given out, then the mammals were taken to their cells and locked away.

Further instructions ran on, talking about how they were woken up early in the morning and sent straight to breakfast. A short recreation period was given, then it was an hour of physical exercise and then schooling (good grades mean higher privileges and more money in your commissary!), before lunch, more schooling, and a second round of physical exercise. Then you either had free time (including visits), chores (such as cleaning) or private counselling. Then dinner, then a 'cell block activity', then free time out of your cell and then in it. There was a brief mention about how many books you could have in there based on your privilege level, as well as bonuses such as a private TV or more access to the antiquated looking (though not so much given the time period) internet labs, before the whole video ended.

"Okay," the guard said. She paused for a second, then looked straight at Kris. "You there, following afternoon schooling what things might you be up to?"

Kris thought back. Things… "Chores, free time and… -though before that you have physical exercise too, don't you?"

Her ears tilted back. "You might think yourself oh so smart and clever," she said, "but do _not_ push your luck. Believe me, I can see right through you."

"I…" Kris began, not sure what that was about. "-yes Ma'am."

"That's Correctional Officer Sarrahson, inmate," she spoke harshly. She then turned to the wolf pup. "You there, you first."

He trembled, stepping up and weakly walking over to the door where he was led out.

Ten or twenty or thirty or sixty minutes passed in silence.

The tapir was taken.

Ten or twenty or thirty or sixty more, and it was Kris' turn. "Paws out in front of you," she said coldly, as Kris felt her tap him in the back with her stick, pressing it into the square of his back. She was watching him, her eyes boring in as he was led to the handover area. Then he was undressing and then he was in the inspection chair. A nurse was looking over him, and he complied as she peered into his ears with a light and checked his eyes. "Mind reading off of the board?" she asked, and he did so.

"This wasn't in the…" he began to say, only for Sarrahson to cut him off.

"-Quiet!"

The nurse inspecting him looked over. "Guess someone's run out of patience," she noted.

"Do not undermine our authority in front of the inmate."

"Yes," she said, getting back to Kris. "Just a basic medical check up," she explained. That made sense…

Then it was off, through the scanner, Sarrahson standing close throughout. Kris fully stripped and walked into the shower area, pressing the button.

He yelped back in shock.

The water was freezing.

"Just get through it," the serval ordered, "and if you don't clean properly you'll go through it again."

Kris looked back, his ears folding down, and took a deep breath. He could get through this… He could get through this…

He began whining the second he got under the cold water, quickly grabbing the shampoo and doing his best to clean him down. Why was the water so cold? Was it like this for all of them? He fumbled a bit with the bottle, his trembles almost making him lose his grip on it. No, he j-j-j-just had to get through with this. Pumping large amounts onto his pads, he ran it through his fur, even as the chill bored deeper inside of him. Okay, he wanted out now. He really wanted out, he did not like this. Finally, he was pretty sure that he'd got the suds out and he exited the shower, shaking himself down hard. Thankfully they did have a step-in fur dryer, the warmth a blessed relief as he took the disposable brush and worked through his fur.

Stepping out, paws over his groin, it was on to the next phase. The nurse held out a can and sprayed his whole body down with a noxious medication, occasionally asking him to lift an arm up. He'd thought he'd smelt bad stuff when a school had had to deal with a flea or mite problem, but this stuff was many times worse, making his throat itch and nose sting. "Trust me kit," the applying nurse said. "If you knew how fleas could spread through here, you wouldn't be complaining."

He didn't answer, just holding his breath until the spraying was over, though his nose still itched from the smell. He had a drip of longer lasting stuff put down onto his nape, before it was over to the uniforms.

From a design perspective, the universal uniform style that prisoners in Zootopia wore was both brilliant and terrible. It had to be something that could cover all the potential shapes, sizes and other factors that a city of innumerable species could throw at it, all with the lowest cost and least number of sizes possible. It actually did this very well, but for the same reasons they were an utter pain for the mammals that had to wear them, not that their opinions really mattered.

The first item was the underwear, a humble item yet one with a surprising amount of variety. After all, out in the city you might want to accommodate thin tails or thick tails, both in terms of the actual limb and the fur on top. Many would have a simple button, or a metal clip, or even velcro, with some others having a firm plastic 'U' put in on the back, the space open to accommodate a tail. Then there were the brands, the decorations, the styles that could be chosen. Boxers or briefs? Given that different mammals varied in regard to how well endowed they were and how much of that was internal or external, there was also the matter of whether a crotch was wanted or not.

Kris was provided with a pair of plain white Y-fronts with a surprising amount of tension in the elastic. However, it needed that as its solution for accommodating his tail was that it didn't. It went around his hips and front, and was then stretched below the base of his tail, making it permanently feel like it was about to fall off of him.

Next came a simple white vest, baggy and oversized for more flexibility. There was a pause, the guard suggested he try the size below; that was just a little bit too small so the bigger one it was. And then it came time for the uniform itself.

For cost's sake, it needed to be a one-piece suit, and due to the need for flexibility it was overly baggy too. That didn't matter though as the one-piece nature meant that his shoulders would support it, even as extra folds crumpled above his feet and the overly generous size billowed a little in the breeze. Of course, the issue of tail accommodation came up again, and the answer to that was simple. The zip was on the back. Pulling up the shoulders, Kris had to feel for the zipper and the start of the line, taking a few goes to thread it in before pulling it down, bending his body and transferring from one paw to the other as he went. He got to the base of his tail and then lifted the back of the suit up, making sure he'd done it up as much as he could. The suit then folded over itself on top of his tail. The design was simple, cheap, highly flexible, helped to prevent skunks from spraying out at others and helped to impede back access for certain dangerous attackers.

From the perspective of an accountant or correctional officer, it was excellently designed. For Kris, it was ugly, baggy, oversized, uncomfortable, awkward to get on and off, and made him feel like a little kit trying on his parents clothes; the fabric was hanging off of his shoulders, requiring a few turn-ups so that his hand-paws weren't covered, while the trousers were quite simply pooling into a bunch of folds over his foot-paws.

Finally, just like the various prisoner classes in Zootopia's system, it was colour coded. The silver fox managed to see himself in the mirror, clad in thick black and white stripes like a prisoner in a cartoon. He wondered if they chose that style for the youth prisoners just to rub in their new status as much as they could.

He didn't ask. Instead he was taken over to get his second mugshot of the day taken. The serval was waiting there, and Kris paused as the feline handed him his board, containing a glaring error. "You misspelt…"

"-Shut up, stand for your picture," the serval ordered.

"It's just you made a…"

"Made a what?"

"-Mistake."

There was a brief pause as a nearby door opened, another prison officer walking in. He was a red deer buck, his fur greying while his uniform was pressed and freshly cleaned. Sarrahson briefly noted his entrance, then turned back to Kris, her tone hardening. "We don't have time for this, inmate, and you will find yourself in hot water if you carry on."

"My name is wrong," he tried to say plainly. It was, they'd spelt it Christopherson, not Kristofferson.

"No, you're wrong!" she responded, holding her stick up and jabbing it hard into Kris' chest. He flinched back, getting worried. "I will not have a lying time waster…"

"-Mrs Sarrahson…"

"Thinking he can get away with wasting our time…"

"-Mrs Sarrahson."

"And acting like he's above us!"

"-Officer Sarrahson!"

She paused, glancing back at the deer, an unimpressed look on his already generally unimpressed looking face.

"I've seen his file, that does seem to be a spelling error," he spoke, his voice quite formal.

She paused and shrugged. "Maybe it is? How do we tell, then?"

"We just took his ID cards, didn't we," he pointed out, before looking over to the nurse who'd been in charge of fumigation. "Can you go and check them please, dear?"

She nodded and walked off, leaving the three of them in the room in an awkward silence. Kris felt oddly relieved that the nervous tension in the air seemed to be between the two guards and not at him. Studying them, he could see that the feline was irritated but holding it in. The cervine, meanwhile, was keeping a fairly straight face, though Kris was pretty sure that there was some curiosity, directed down at her, in there too. Looking more closely at the taller guard, he seemed to have a question on the tip of his tongue, but also a resolute determination not to ask it in this setting.

The nurse came back in. "It is spelt wrong."

The serval put her paw out, took the board back, and amended it. The deer cleared his throat a few times, she ignored him and handed the board back.

Kris held it as his prison mugshot in prison clothes for prison was taken. It all felt daunting again. A little printer popped out a few ID cards, which Kris was instructed to slip into a clear plastic breast pocket on his uniform, his picture displayed alongside his name and inmate number.

Daunting _in extremis_.

"Right," the serval muttered, looking up at him. "Get a move on…"

"Not so fast," the deer spoke, making her pause. "Before he goes off to see a counselor, the warden wants a word with him."


	55. An Anonymous Vulpine 11

**Chapter 11**

**.**

**AN: This chapter involves a few cameos from other works and creators, plus some external references. Due to reasons that will become self explanatory, I'll go into them at the beginning of the next chapter. Regardless, this was one of the funnest chapters for me to write and one of my favorites. Enjoy.**

.

Kris wasn't quite sure whether to feel relieved or intimidated. After all, the police Chief had said that a word would be put in for him, and this must have been that coming to fruition. So relief, especially after the intimidation of the whole booking procedure, was there.

But at the same time he was being taken along to _the_ authority figure, the one who could dictate just how his whole stay here would pass, be it good or bad or anywhere in between. He had no power against him and was at his mercy, and yeah…

Kris felt a little intimidated.

Not helped by the fact that he was marching along a bleak white corridor flanked by two prison guards, his paws cuffed in front of him, his baggy prison stripes hanging off of him, and his underwear feeling uncomfortably low.

"Muzzle up, Silverfox," the deer guard spoke.

He matched that as they turned a corner and reached a metal door. A wave was given to the guard on the other side, an ID card swiped, and Kris was escorted out. Things felt a little less harsh here, the walls a bit warmer and the floor a softer carpet instead of the harsher linoleum (which he could swear was making his pads tingle slightly). There was some chatter off to the sides, and he glanced through some doors to see some generic looking office spaces, even a break room at one point. Normal looking adult mammals worked there and, though a few flashed him a look, none lingered on him. Finally they reached a large, heavy, office, the deer rapping it hard with his hooves a few times.

"Come in," came a response, and the door was opened. Inside it was just another generic office, if a bit bigger or wider. It felt like a slightly starker version of the one that the head of his old school… -no, _still _his school, had. He remembered being led there by his aunt on his first day as they sorted everything out, meeting the head along with his form tutor and prefect. There was a grim poetry between that act and this.

The warden himself, sat at his desk, was an argali, a short haired wild sheep with massive curling horns. He looked over at Kris, gesturing down to a seat, which he occupied. He couldn't help but notice that there was a thick rug on the floor, the soft strands feeling wonderful on his feet. "You can uncuff him, you know," he spoke.

The serval shook her head. "I don't think that would be wise. After all, he was confrontational and uncooperative during his intake. Wouldn't you agree, Mr Fulton?"

The deer kept a blank look on his face as he glanced over. "He happened to have disagreements with you when you refused to believe that you'd got his name wrong, and confronted you on that verbally Mrs Sarrahson. So arguably yes."

"And before that, before you got in," she pointed out. She paused, before her brow furrowed. "I have a better measure of the prisoner than you do."

He paused and held back, before looking to the warden. "Well, I think we can answer this situation quite easily. What is his conviction, warden?"

The argali flicked a hoof up. "That's the issue. I just want to wait until Terrance gets here…"

There was a knock on the door.

"Perfect timing. Come in."

The door opened and a giant river otter waddled in. Kris noticed that he was dressed in a much more relaxed fashion compared to the others (night and day against the deer, or Mr Fulton as he seemed to be called), only wearing the loose shirt with its clips and tags. On his lower half he wore a pair of gym pants, while a whistle hung from around his neck. "Afternoon," he spoke, before pausing as his eyes met Kris'. "Hey there kit," he spoke, walking forward. "Name's Terrance. I help with guidance and group therapy, along with the physical exercise. Holding up well?"

The silver fox was taken aback by his friendliness, but as the shock wore off he sighed. "I… Not really," he spoke, glancing to the floor. "Today's been… something."

"Tch," he said. "Nothing anyone else wouldn't feel in your position," he spoke, leaning forward and placing a paw down on his shoulder. They were both about the same size, so it provided some comfort. "Now, I don't care what you've done in the past. The important thing is that today is the day you start writing your future. Now, I know that may feel tough and daunting, but I'll be there to lend a paw throughout. Got it?"

Kris nodded, glancing up at the others. The deer had a blank look on his face, while the serval was gazing with a downcast look at the otter. They were broken off though by a short -ahem from the warden. "That's the thing," he spoke, bringing out some files. "Earlier today, Chief Bogo of the ZPD phoned me and said that we were getting a third new resident here today on decidedly short notice." There was a pause, as he brought out some files. "Moreover, he is one that he, and much of the ZPD, do not wish to be here."

"So what, the judge decided not to spare the rod on him?" Sarrahson asked.

The warden's eyes narrowed as he stared back up at her. "He hasn't been in front of a judge."

The room went quiet, broken off by the coughing of the deer. "Excuse me. What do you mean, he hasn't been in front of a judge? He does not look like an exceptionally violent offender to me, and even then a judge would have to consider it first before signing off for a transfer here."

"I mean that, against the wishes of the ZPD, the District Attorney sprung a specific set of legislation against him, forcing him to be held here up until his as of yet undecided trial date. Indeed, they have a month before they even have to charge him."

"I…" Terrance stuttered, glancing back at Kris before looking back at the warden. "Was he caught stealing nuclear codes or something!?"

"No," the warden spoke, bringing up a file. "In the first period of school today the police called to his school, reporting that refined nighthowler pellets…"

"-Nighthowlers!" the serval shouted in shock, glancing angrily down at Kris but otherwise staying quiet.

"Yes. That they were present there. An investigation found them in his locker, though there was no other evidence linking him to any crimes using them."

"Who needs that," she spoke. "He had nighthowlers on him!"

"In his locker," the warden spoke, raising his tone. "And you know as well as I do that anyone could have put them there, Sarrahson. Please let me continue. The ZPD knew that too, which was why they planned to release him with a tracker as they carried on investigating. However, the DA then got involved, using the Nighthowler Act on him. A chief judge agreed in principle, and now he's stuck here for up to a month, when they can press charges, and then sixth further months before his trial may start. All with no conviction at all."

There was a pause, silence hanging over them before Terrance shook his head. "-You said today, right? This all happened today?"

The warden nodded.

"_Puta xingar_…" he muttered, before turning back to Kris. "I can't even imagine what you're going through," he spoke, a paw lunging down to grab Kris'. "Listen. You shouldn't be here, and if there was anything I could do to get you out, I'd do it. But I want you to know that you have a friend here, okay? I was put down to be your private councillor too, so you can talk to me."

Kris breathed in and out before nodding. "Thanks," he spoke, smiling a little. "This… this hasn't been nice. But it's nice to know that you'll be there for me."

He nodded, before stepping back. "Regardless of that, we've got to work out what we do next," he spoke, pausing to think. "I don't think it would be wise to have that as your explanation for why you're here."

"I… Wouldn't it best to just say the truth?" Kris asked, suddenly confused.

"I'd normally agree, but I'm with Officer Riotra here," the deer spoke, glancing down at Terrance as he walked forwards. "Many of the criminal elements in there have a code of honour. Some crimes are worse than others, and they pick on their perpetrators to make them feel better about themselves. Let's an unreformable crook feel that he's a good person if he picks on someone who, say, hurt a child. Now I don't like those who hurt children very much either, but I have a particular contempt for those who feel that their business and life is in crime and then hold such an action as a badge of honour. I will tell you this, those kinds of mammals lived through the howler crisis and they were angry. Some even tried to use it as an excuse for why they are in here," he said, lashing the words with an angry hint of dismissal. "Given your situation, I think that Officer Riotra might have a point. I have a feel for the boys in there, they won't like it if they're in with someone involved in that stuff and a lie might make this unfair stay of yours more tolerable."

Terrance nodded. "But should the new story be that he's still waiting trial or hasn't been charged? Or should he say he committed a crime he didn't do? I mean, personally, most of them out there accept that they all did something wrong, but plenty of the others claim they're 'innocent.'"

"Whatever it is," the warden spoke, mulling it over. "It might have to explain why he's being pulled in and out to go to his trial."

"So, just tell the truth," Sarrahson spoke up, her arms crossed across her chest. "He dabbled in howlers, they'll hear it on the news, whatever. Let's just accept what's going on and move on, rather than making this complicated."

"They don't tend to watch the cable news that much," Terrance spoke. "We could easily turn the channels over when anything about this is coming up. As for the papers, that's easy. We read through and don't stock them when it mentions him. Heck, most of the time his name will be anonymous through all of this, so if it's a light general thing we could probably let it pass."

"Still," she pressed, her tone hardening. "These are some very exceptional accommodations."

"-And this is a very exceptional case," the warden argued, cutting them off. He then turned to Kris. "Listen, I'm putting this in place because, in my view, you should not be here and, due to what you're… -well, not even formally accused of yet, I feel there are some concerns for your wellbeing and safety. So we'll work on a cover story, and then you run with it, understand?"

Kris nodded. "Yes," he said. Despite his initial misgivings, it sounded reasonable.

Fulton stepped out. "He's not like the standard mammal in here, he's a cut above and they will know it."

"Being pretty generous there," Sarrahson noted, only to be ignored.

"So we need something to accommodate this," the warden spoke. "I mean, if you fell asleep with a kit in your bed and accidentally rolled and smothered him, that would work as a sympathetic reason for being here. Angry step parent accused you of murder or…" he paused, shaking his head. "Then again, as Mr Fulton said, they have codes of honour and killing a baby would fall pretty against it. They may not take it lightly."

There was a pause, then Terrance clicked his fingers. "Okay then. Maybe he was volunteering at a place, he seems like the nice kind of chap who'd do that, and serving food. Only he got an allergy or intolerance order mixed up by mistake and someone fell seriously ill, had to go into intensive care or even had cardiac arrest. He was charged with attempted murder and sent here."

"I'd of thought that, at worst, would be considered criminal neglect. For a first time offence, neglect like that seems like something that would get him a caution, maybe sent him to a reform school in an exceptional situation."

"Well, maybe it happened with the DA's favorite niece then," the otter shrugged. "He then absolutely threw the book at him. This upcoming trial is his appeal."

"I…" the warden mused, "it would work leading up to the trial."

Fulton nodded. "Yes, and if he is guilty, then the truth will be coming out anyway."

The warden nodded, then turned to Kris. "Given what you've been through today, whether you did it or not, this must have been terribly confusing and hard on you."

"-Indeed," Fulton noted. "The kit is undoubtedly brave and mature, facing all this with a straight face. Credit where credit is due."

"I also don't deny that all of us discussing this is difficult too," he carried on. "But I want to make this clear to you. We don't think you should be here, not now, not yet. All the others in there have been found guilty of something and think that everyone else is too, which is a worry. It must be intimidating for us to be talking about made up crimes that you did and you will lie about, but we're trying to make this so you don't needlessly suffer any more than you already have."

There was a pause, Kris nodding. "Thanks," he spoke, sighing as he looked down at his cuffed paws and prison uniform. "I… -I don't like this, I don't like anything, but I could try and fight and thrash around and just get tired and go under, or I could try and float with the current. I didn't do it, I have no clue how those got there, but I have friends and family who I trust will find out the truth. I just need to survive until then, for them, and if this makes it easier, I'll do it."

Terrance nodded. "Good lad. They may ask you questions. Do you know a place that could fit for this incident?"

"There's a coffee shop near my house in the rainforest district that I've been to a few times," he said. "My father and I had cake or a few breakfasts there. They have books you can borrow, and an area for megafauna…"

"Perfect," he spoke. "Any experience in a kitchen too?"

"I had a week's worth of experience in one a few years back," he said, "so I do know how a coffee machine will work."

"Good," he spoke. "They'll ask questions, and you can answer them without tripping yourself up. The best lies always have a bit of truth in them, don't they?" He cracked a little grin.

Kris breathed in and out. "Yeah."

"Anyhow," the warden said, "we'll inform the other staff. This is an exceptional situation, one that none of us here want, _some_ obviously more than others." There was cold silence as he looked up at Sarrahson before looking down. "But behave, put your head down, and we should get through this."

"Aye, I think the kit will," Fulton agreed, looking down at him. "Just by looking at him, I can sense that he's not your standard criminal, or even one who did it in a crime of passion. There are those few out there who made genuine mistakes and are sorry for them, and he is like that without the mistake." He looked down and nodded. "Silverfox?"

Kris looked up at him.

"Keep your muzzle up high and face this like the man you are."

"I will," he said, only to pause slightly as he glanced at Sarrahson, the serval giving the deer a stink eye.

It didn't matter though. The warden was already standing up, waving the other two guards off. Terrance, meanwhile, tapped Kris on the shoulder. "Let's get to my office and have our chat. I'm your councillor after all."

Kris smiled, feeling a little ray of hope in all these shadows. "That sounds good, thanks."

And with that, the otter led him off.

.

.

Back at the Fox family house, things were quickly ramping up into action mode. Haida and Retsuko had left on a mission, Skye was on her phone and firing off a few messages, while her mate was being tortured.

"Ahhhhhh…."

"Ehhhhhhhh…."

"Oooooohhhh…."

"ARGHHHH!"

"-And done," Judy spoke, watching as he collapsed onto the nearby sofa, exhausted from all the jumping jacks he'd been doing. He briefly realised that he could work out a pun from that, but he hadn't got enough effort to even try.

"Why…" he muttered, looking over. "Am I…. Doing this…?"

"You want to be 'secret agent' Jack, then you need to get fit," she spoke, tapping a few things into her mobile phone.

"Who says…"

"I do."

"And who put you in charge."

She looked over, her eyes narrowing as she smiled. "Let's say that it was mutually and non-verbally agreed on."

"Undemocratic... bunneh…" he panted, sliding down the seat. "I feel like my spleen… is now a razor blade of pure agony twisting and coiling within me…"

"No Cuss," Nick spoke. "It's a right of passage."

"To your credit," she noted, checking an app. "You're a lot more fit than I expected you to be. I'm guessing it was from all the running around on stage you do."

"Oh thanks, that makes me feel real better…"

"And your lung capacity from all your long speeches," she mused, shrugging. "But! The important thing is that I've now calibrated your app." She handed it back to him. "You'll be scheduled up with frequent and small exercises, as well as targets on how far you need to walk, jog, etcetera…"

There was a pause as his phone buzzed. He picked it up, looking on at it curiously. "What's 'a plank?' I'm guessing it's not pirate related."

"Ho-boy," Nick said, walking in and crossing your arms. "I'd say it's a little pirate related."

"In what way?"

"Well, pirates say, _Arghhhhh!_ A lot. And, doing the plank, you will also say _Arghhhh_ a lot."

The jackrabbit groaned, looking over at Judy. "Remind me why I'm doing this?"

"Because you need to get fit Jack," she said, sighing a little as she walked forwards. "If you're going to be doing these things, you might come across mammals who really don't like you, who want to attack you, or get mad and try to harm you." There was a pause, then a sigh. "I don't have the time to teach you to properly fight and defend yourself in these situations. Yes, you'll be trying your hardest to avoid conflict with your acting, yes you'll have gadgets and weapons from Skye and her friend…"

"-She's in, and she says she'd like to catch up with me ASAP," Skye spoke, looking over.

Judy fist-pumped. "But anyway, Jack, things might turn ugly and if that's the case you need to be able to run. You need to be able to run as fast as your legs can take you and get out of there." She paused, before looking over at Nick. "When I picked up Nick, getting him to help me out on the missing mammals case, do you know how many times I put his life in danger?"

"I… _-three?_"

Judy blinked. "You actually got it right."

"Yeah, rules of threes, and what the maize and squash!?"

"First I dragged Nick into a position where he ran into someone who really didn't like him," she spoke, listing it off against her fingers. "-We were lucky to get out of that. -Next we had to run from a savage jaguar and almost fell to our deaths."

"You're counting both of those as the same event?" Nick asked, his head tilting a bit.

"Yeah," she said. "You don't?"

"No."

"Then where does getting trapped at Cliffside fit in?"

He shrugged. "Given that they'd just lock us up there, I don't think it'd count."

"You were literally going around saying that we were all dead."

He shrugged. "Hey, hindsight twenty-twenty."

"And what about the fall into a waterfall?"

"Given what I know of vulpine terminal velocities versus the impact of falling into water, I figured we'd be safe. Same principle as cats."

"Oh, never thought of that," Judy mused, all while Jack looked on in the background, slack-jawed. "So how many incidents do you count the train things as?"

"Oh, you dealt with the rams so that doesn't count," Nick mused. "And as there wasn't a cooldown period between the near head on collision and the crash and fire, that's all one. Followed by the second with the ewe of doom."

"So you count the train and explosion as one but Manchas and the vine as two?"

"Yeah, because I had the chance to leave in the middle. Two separate events," he shrugged.

"Oh, okay then. Makes sense," Judy agreed, before pausing. "What was I discussing before all of this?"

"About why I needed to get fit," Jack said slowly. "I think I get it now."

"Yup," Nick agreed. "Welcome to the Judy Hopps pain programme."

"Right," he mumbled, before his phone buzzed. "It really wants me to do this plank thing too. Okay then…"

Nick nodded and got down by him, ready to guide him through it. Meanwhile, Skye walked by, sitting down next to him and patting him on her head. "Don't worry. Keep these up, and I'll make sure my secret agent gets some special rewards."

Jack's morose mood lifted. "Right! One plank! Ready to go," he said, matching Nick.

Meanwhile, Judy was walking over to the fennecs, watching as they typed away.

"I've registered some interest in Duke's room," Finnick said, showing his phone. "We got a viewing early tomorrow, so your bunny agent better be ready if he wants to do what he wants to do."

"That he does," Judy replied, only for her ears to raise as she heard some mild screaming in the background.

Finnick looked on, his eyes narrowing. "I mean why don't I just do it?"

"Well, you can both go," Judy shrugged, before shrugging and looking at him. "And I mean, he does want to help. Surely that's a good thing. Kris needs us all to give a-thousand-and-one percent."

"Guess so," the fennec mumbled, as his girlfriend walked past him, speaking out.

"I've already uploaded the video in question and leaked it to various websites. Even better, a version is slowly climbing up P-slash-Zootopia as we speak. Meanwhile, political Ewetuber Anton Pounceheart will be hosting Mr and Mrs Fox along with the Dr to talk it over. Of course, if we want this to have any impact, we need to break out into the mainstream media world, especially the news networks. Thankfully, I think I've gotten the contact numbers of a few highly influential mammals, ones who can bring a lot to our side. I've already sent out appropriate communications," She paused, then shrugged. "Does the day after tomorrow sound good for a protest?"

Judy nodded. "It does," she agreed, smiling. "Thanks."

She saluted them, before glancing down at Finnick. "Remember what I asked you to remember for later, earlier?"

"Yep," he said, looking at her.

"I'll need you to contact someone too in a sec. Just working on getting his email."

"Right on," he agreed, as the two carried on working. Judy meanwhile headed back over to the sofa. Jack was current in Skye's arms, getting petted. "Judy," he spoke, looking over. "This would be easier if I were masochistic. What monster invented that thing?"

"It's an ancient evil," Nick groaned, finally getting out of his own plank. "Trust me there, Stripes. Trust me there."

"It is only due to vixen love and affection…" he began, before getting cut off by a few kisses to his side, "-that I feel I can cope with this."

His phone buzzed again and he groaned, looking at it. He then looked at Skye, showed it to her, and she held her arm out. He grabbed it and began groaning as he tried to pull himself up. Slowly but surely he raised himself above her arm, getting a little kiss in response.

"Nineteen more of those," Skye said, briefly kissing him again as he pulled himself up, then we can meet our helper and get you suited up.

"Count me in," Judy agreed, Nick nodding too.

.

.

Meanwhile, across town, some of those same appropriate communications were busy. Haida and Retsuko waited outside of the ZNN office building, their eyes peeled. Eventually they found their black and white mark and began following.

"Right," she said, feeling excited. "We're actually doing this!"

"Yeah," Haida noted, looking down and smiling at her. He brought out his phone and began reading things off. "Okay, common skunk."

"Check."

"Yellow shirt and cargo pants."

"Check."

"ZNN cap and a novelty backpack in the shape of an arctic fox newsreader."

"Check."

"Pine tree shaped car air freshener worn as a decorative necklace."

"Check."

"Reporter at ZNN."

"Highly suspected."

"Evidence of sad backstory."

"Sadly."

Haida nodded and scrolled on, only for his eyes to narrow. "Okay, T-M-I Fenneko, T-M-I…"

"Huh?" Retsuko asked, glancing up at him.

Haida handed the phone down, her eyes narrowing. "Suspected sufferer of spray dysfunction after highly negative review of rubberised underwear product. Quote: _The scent blockers. They do nothing!_"

She handed it back. "Yeah. Let's not mention that."

"-Mention what?"

They paused, noticing that the skunk in question had stopped, turning around to face them, his eyes darting up to Haida and back down level to Retsuko, before flitting between them. He looked a bit nervous, fumbling with his paws, before moving them to his rear. The pair shared a nervous look, only to relax as he didn't move them towards his tail hole, before unrelaxing as they saw his claw tips rest on a refillable scent can held in his pocket, an elegant spraying method for a more civilized age.

"Woah! We're just here to discuss business," Retsuko said, smiling.

He paused, thinking. "You're the one who messaged me earlier?"

"Well, a mutual friend was," Haida replied, before gesturing to himself. "Haida."

"Retsuko," the red panda introduced herself.

The skunk relaxed a bit, smiling, before looking over to a nearby bench. "Steven... -Steven Stinkman, Ace ZNN reporter!" he spoke, as he led them over.

Haida rubbed his chin. "Hmmm, I wouldn't say that just yet."

"Huh! Hey, I do good news," he said, almost pleadingly. "I do real good news, and reports; Mr Lagopus himself likes me."

"Well, given that your mother is Murana Wolford, director of the bank that practically owns the company," he began, only to pause as he saw the newly demoralised look on his face, "-Of course, you've also set yourself out as a real swell fellow, haven't you, huh?"

"Oh," he blushed. "Thanks."

"But what you need is a really big scoop!"

"Hey!" he shot back. Paw to his heart, the skunk looked genuinely hurt. "Firstly, it's only my musk gland. Secondly," he sniffed, before sniffing again, "when you're just a kit, and get taken and used for _months_ as nothing more than a you meant the journalist kind of scoop, didn't you?"

They both nodded, before Retsuko spoke up. "Listen," she said, putting a paw forward. "We know that when you were a young teen you were a key witness in the trial of those behind the infamous North-Pier Musk Mill. I'm not here to ask about what that was like, I can't imagine it. What I can say though is that there's another kit, older than you were but not by much, who is suffering right now. And you can help him."

"Yeah," Haida agreed, "And make a big break while you're at it."

He looked on for a second or two, before his eyes narrowed. "Who's out there hurting a kit, and can I give him a taste of my own medicine?" he asked, ruffling his tail a little.

Retsuko handed over her phone, she and Haida explained the context, and Steven watched, enraptured and then enraged, his limbs shaking a bit. "Why that… that… that big tub of lard! After all the pointless crap he's put my mother through, he thinks he can hurt an innocent kit too! Oh, if he stinks he's seen Murana Wolford mad before, he ain't seen nothing yet! "

"Yeah!" Haida began, before pausing. "Though I'm curious. How did you end up being adopted by a banker wolf?"

"I… -Well…" he began, suddenly fumbling again. "My mother adopted me when my birth family couldn't be found after my rescue. I'm not sure if I should say this or not, but she's the reason that I and every other skunk there was rescued, and the reason why so few of those behind the mill reached the trial."

Haida and Retsuko's ears went back, the red panda chuckling nervously. "I… -We just want to turn public anger against the DA and for our kit."

"Right," he spoke, chuckling. "I mean, she doesn't do anything like that anymore, of course! But being a wolf, she was always very vocal of her displeasure at the DA, especially after she had to fight off a bunch of his over eager charges, all brought about by spurious claims and lies from dissatisfied ex-employees. But even before it became fursonal, oh she'd want to take him down for harming a child like this! I promise you now, with her influence she can turn ZNN into the one stop pro-Silverfox propaganda machine!"

"Yeah," Haida said. "And, you have some star witnesses here, right now."

"Yes I do!" he cheered, jumping up in glee, only to suddenly freeze. There was a slight pause as he sniffed the air before carrying on regardless. "Right, follow me, back to ZNN and the scoop of the century. This is going to make my career! I can see it now: David Frost, Jon Shrewart, Louis Caribou, Steven Stinkman!"

.

.

In a different part of town, a different mammal was about to learn the news too. He'd gotten home, chosen to log into his computer set-up rather than practice his guitar, and had been ready for a good time browsing.

A ping on one of his screens had distracted him. He didn't look at it, instead waving his paws in front of him. Staring up through his virtual reality goggles, he moved the 'screen' so that it was in front of him, then opened the email.

He paused, thinking. His fingers, jet black fur with wisps of grey, began gliding out across a virtual keyboard.

_Eljaysliver_: _Hey, DF-243… You say you have something important for me?_

_DF-243: Yeah. You could say that._

_Eljaysliver: Well, if someone I talked to once on a newspaper comment section a few years back gets my email and messages me out the blue, it's gonna be. You follow what I'm bringing out?_

_DF-243: Listen, Kit, if you are who my vix thinks you are, then you'll want to brace yourself for what's coming. Don't tell no-one, but I struggled too, and I deserved what happened to me._

There was a pause, before an email post containing a video and a set of notes came across. The computer owner quickly isolated them onto a quarantine drive, disconnecting it from the rest of his set up with a simple word command before dissecting it with a variety of protection programs. He then opened it up, watched and trembled, his teeth gritting. He had to hold himself from tearing off his headset, finally putting it down safely and marching away from his set-up, right towards a brick wall of his loft apartment. He made a beeline to a punching bag and hit it, hit it harder, fox screaming and gekkering as he laid into it, even timing his punches with some pounces.

He finished, landing down and panting in and out. The rage had subsided, it was now a controllable inferno. He marched back to his computer, eschewing the headset, and typed back in.

_Eljaysliver: Yeah. I'm in. You want this done under the table or over?_

_DF-243: I'm around law types, so keep it over. We need presence for an upcoming protest. I hear you can get your paws on some pretty big mammal power, ha-ha._

_Eljaysliver: Yeah. I'm following what you're bringing out. Cya there._

He broke off, pausing as he panted in and out. If he had any less control, he'd be trembling. Different country, different time, the place here certainly wasn't Granite Point but in his mind that was like saying that The Cooler at Stagen Luft 3 wasn't the Black Hole of Cowcutta.

He closed his eyes and spoke out. "Picture, Mom, Enter."

The screens all changed to the same image, that of a pretty cross fox vixen, held at the back of his memory but lost to the world far too soon. He stared at her long and hard before closing his eyes, making sure to recite her voice in his head and the songs she sung before giving it the order to close down again.

He thought of that other kit, right now.

It hurt him.

"Call, Mother, Video, Urgent."

The screens turned a different colour, briefly pausing for a second or two before a new face came online. A pure white face with two crescent moon earrings, that had come as a stranger and pulled him out of hell, who he'd come to love. Maybe he wasn't that good at showing it, he'd learned to hide all his vulnerability and live on his own long before they'd met, but he wouldn't give her up for anything. "-Dear…" she asked, a look of maternal concern struck on her face the instant she saw him.

"Something… something bad is going on, out there," he spoke, suddenly feeling tears beginning to well up in him. He shook his head. -That wasn't supposed to happen, not anymore.

"I'll send Felix to pick you up," she spoke softly, as he sighed with relief. "You can tell me everything."

He nodded. "Thanks mom," he spoke, wiping an eye. Dammit, he wasn't supposed to get soft. He shut down screen feed and stepped away, barking out an order. "Mother. Shut-down."

Not to any maternal figures this time. It was a fun sci-fi reference of his, and he watched as the computer systems of his home closed themselves off. He picked up a few things: some memento's, toiletries, one of his guitars, that damned algebra assignment. He got in the lift and went down, emerging onto the street as a massive jet black motorbike rumbled into view, a wolf's skull affixed to the front of the beast. A sidecar had been attached, and the mammal jumped and packed his things up, pausing as a hearty pat on the back came from the driver. "I'll get ya' there quick, kit."

"Thanks bro," he replied calmly, giving a solid nod of confirmation before they headed off, quickly cutting into the Rainforest District.

They didn't notice the sight of a bunch of other mammals making their way along a higher road in a beat up van with a funky mural on the side. It parked itself up, the fennec giving a wave before heading off.

Jack, Skye, Judy and Nick walked along the road. "Listen, I'll stick you guys on my insurance tonight," the swift fox vixen said, as she scooted along with her crutches. "Typically, the doctor said I shouldn't drive, which rules out my one auto." She paused, looking at them. "You guys know how to drive a manual?"

"No," Nick said.

"I do," Judy said, smiling. "Farm girl."

Jack, groaning, jogged up next to them, slumping down when his app told him he was done. "Maybe… Instead of this fitness thing… You could teach me… how to drive…?"

"When my leg is better I can," Skye said, before pausing. "Better check Retsuko and Haida too. I know she can drive, but not what type."

The others nodded in appreciation, as she checked her phone. "Right, this should be the place."

They'd arrived at a little nook like home near the bottom of one of the Rainforest District's artificial trees. Reached by a little wooden walkway, it seemed a little isolated, part backed onto a hill and with shaggy untrimmed grass around it. A few bin-bags were laid outside, one of them spilling out opened letters, another smelling of all sorts of rotten food. The windows were wide open too, and the sound of hoovering was coming from inside. Skye knocked.

"Hey. Just a sec!"

The vacuum went off and Skye smiled, before pausing as she noticed an odd look that Judy was giving. "Judy?"

She shook her head. "Sorry," she mumbled, shrugging. "Deja vu…"

"-Now, I don't want to get into this too much," the voice from inside spoke in a resigned tone, Judy's eyes suddenly opening wide with realisation as the door began to open. "But you gotta have some funky timing. You chose to call me at literally the earliest I could…"

She froze, everyone froze, as Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde looked once again into the eyes of Honey Badger.


	56. An Anonymous Vulpine 12

**Chapter 12.**

**.**

**AN: So, you see why I moved the author's notes here. Also, slight confession, maybe I was flubbing the truth a little last time with the cameo's.**

**The big one is featuring Steven Stinkman, the 'sona of great guy, author of Born to Be Wilde, ever dependable reader and commentator, Berserker88. We missed out on featuring his hyena-rat-masked-luchador-lesbian pairing in 'So we're inters now', so I'll be making it up to him big time here and in the future. A few characters of his co-author, Mind-Jack, will also feature (or may have already been alluded to).**

**Also mentioned in that segment was his adopted mother, Murana Wolford, from the fic 'In Darkness I Hide.' Owned by Darkflamewolf, that fic features her as the adoptive mother of both Steven and a second very special 'Sona, who we will see coming up in twenty weeks time. It also goes into Steven's backstory, which was alluded to here.**

**Now, the other set involves who those three unnamed characters were. All will be revealed in due course and all are from different creators, though two had a very close relationship in one majorly awesome fanfic (which number 3, from a different majorly awesome fanfic, would very much want in on if he had the option). All I'll do is signpost you to two of my absolute favourite stories: Berserker's (and MindJack's) Born to be Wilde series, and Merc Marten's Fire Triangle series (as said before, reading the prequel will be enough (to both get a rough idea of the character (even if the backstory has been changed a bit for this setting), and get you addicted to a truly awesome story)). When they pop up again in the future, you'll get the full briefing, don't you worry.**

**Anyway, the big news is that Honey has returned, outta the blue. Let's see what kind of spanner that throws into the works.**

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"WAAARGGGHHHH!"

"Wait," Judy shouted, but it was too late, Honey slamming the door shut in front of her. The sound of deadbolts ratcheting shut rang out as Judy jumped into action, suddenly looking just as terrified. "We're not here to harm you!"

There was the sound of something heavy slamming down from inside, along with a curse. "That's OTT, way OTT," Honey panicked. "They'll use that…" Fear was laced in her voice as she spoke, a groan and a grunt then sounding out. "Ooops, just bumped something! Everything's fine, I'm fine, all is fine!"

"Yes, everything's fine! We didn't know it was you!"

"-Yes, yes, yes, all fine la-la-la, I'm fine, feeling fine…" the panicked ratel narrated, before the sound of a windows slamming shut cut it off. Judy looked on, paws to her heart and ears drooping all the while, as the house was locked down.

"You know her?" Skye asked. "You didn't arrest her one time, did you?"

Judy groaned, head dropping into her paws. "Trust me," she mumbled. "I wish it was that simple."

"Did you know that she was committed a while back?" Nick asked, Skye blinking a few times.

"No, not at all. You mean you…"

"We didn't take her in from her home, no," Nick explained, flashing a look of concern at the door, mumbles and sounds still coming out of it as the occupant did whatever she was doing. "But she escaped from the mental hospital, causing all kinds of carnage. We… kinda… brought her back in."

"We did more than that," Judy sniffed, turning to face Skye. "We pulled up in our cruiser and there she was, and the second she saw us she leapt up in joy. She thought we were there to save her!"

"Why…" the vixen began, before her eyes widened with realisation. "-Because you took down Bellwether, didn't you?"

Nick nodded. "So you knew about her sheep problem?"

"Well, she'd mumble very weird stuff very often," she said, sighing. "I always knew she had a screw loose, but I ignored that. We were working together on stuff, and we'd focus on that, bonding over it while I ignored the many things that I found bad about her. I knew she was pretty damn ovinophobic, but what does that have to do with building stuff? I… -That doesn't make me a bad person, does it?"

"No," Judy replied. "At least, I don't think. But you've got the gist of it. She came up hero worshipping us, saying that we were the fighters against the 'cudspiracy', that we'd take her and free her. She sounded convinced that she'd die or be brainwashed if we took her back. I tried calming her down, diffusing everything, but she kept coming closer and getting more energetic. We were her heroes. And then…"

"You tasered her," Skye said sadly.

"Tranq'd," Judy corrected, closing her eyes and stomping her foot. "Doesn't make much difference though.

"Yeah," Nick agreed, before pausing, looking at the door. He walked up and knocked it. "Hey, Honey was it?"

"I'm… I'm fine," she said, her voice nervous at first but picking up.

"You were just discharged," he spoke. "Got home, cleaning out all those letters that had piled up and things that had gone off in the fridge." He paused, shrugging. "I could give you a refund for that."

"Y-yes," she spoke. "The doc has me on drugs now, which aren't poisoned or anything, so I'm fine, we're all fine in here… -I mean I am! Singular, just me, no alternate personalities or anything so not crazy that way. I'm just fine. -How are you?"

"Good," he said. "But we need your help."

"Um… -Too bad. Kinda busy in here! Putting my life back together. Fine. Thank you. Boring conversation anyway. No help needed."

Nick nodded and was about to speak, only to be cut off as she began stammering out. "-Except medical help of course! Need that! Really need that, and I have it, I have it good! So no need for police help or anything! You can go now. I'm good… I'm good and fine and you can go now, I swear…" There was a pause, then a sniff. "I swear…"

"Hey," Nick began, only to pause as he heard her sniff again.

"Please, I'm better now, I swear. I really… I really swear! I don't wanna go back though! Please don't make me go back!"

"We're not going to," Judy said firmly. "A friend said that you could help us with something, and we really do need your help. Please, let us come in. And… I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry that I hurt you, that I broke your heart, that I couldn't think of a better way and that things didn't work out the way they could have." Judy broke down; her eyes were red and misting up, her voice cracking. "Honey. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry that I couldn't be your hero."

There was a long pause, before the sound of some of the bolts unlocking rang out. The handle turned and, slowly, the door was let open on the chain, Honey's red and puffy eyes looking out. She looked over them, bottom lip sliding beneath her teeth to be chewed on, before she spoke. "T-this is just rational safety checking, you hear, but empty your pockets."

Nick and Judy did so.

"You two too," Honey said, Skye and Jack nodding.

"I didn't know you had a history with them," Skye confessed.

"Funny," the ratel said, her eyes narrowing. "I didn't know you did either."

"Nick was in my school, but we didn't get along until very recently," she explained. "After the Howler Crisis you never asked."

"Well, guess that makes logic," she mumbled. "I mean, you've been busy too. Got a bunny BF and a busted leg while I was locked up..." There was a long pause, before she took a breath in and opened up the door, letting them all in. The inside was basic and smelt a bit dusty, though a big cleaning blitz had been helping out. The bunnies and foxes were led to some threadbare sofas and sat down, while Honey walked over to a kitchen cabinet. Her guests' eyes followed her, pausing as they noticed a bookcase by the front door, half of the books on the floor, swept into a pile. "Uhhh, -that's nuthin'" she dismissed, before reaching up.

"I'm okay, thanks," Judy said, only for the ratel to return, holding out a pill tray in front of her.

"See," she said. "They have me on medicines now. Helps to stop my moods swinging and my B-P-D, my borderline personality disorder."

Judy nodded. "I'm glad you got the help you needed," she said, smiling. "I'm proud of you."

"I…" she began, pausing, a small smile growing on her face. "Thanks…" she said softly, taking them back. "I… I see why they're needed now," she spoke. "And I do feel different, and I can tell that that is good. Even if it's kinda scary."

"How come?" Judy asked.

Honey sat down, head going into her paws. "I… Before, I knew who was bad and who was good, and I knew which side I was on," she spoke. "I knew that sheep were evil, and just thinking about them I worked out how more and more evil they were, and it all made sense! It all made sense. But… But now…"

"You don't know who the enemy is," Judy finished.

"Yup," Honey spoke, gritting her teeth. "I don't, and I realise sheep aren't all that bad, and a lot of what I was saying was cray-cray. But I still don't like them, I still have a bit of a grudge, you know what I'm saying? But I know now that it's dumb an' stupid, that a lot of what I did was bad and stupid, and I keep thinkin' that I was the bad guy here and that there are other bad guys out there hiding and I don't know what's going on anymore. It's… It's scary…"

"It's hard," Nick spoke, walking over and sitting next to her. "-Changing yourself. Realising that you were lying to yourself for so long, and trying to come to terms with it. It's hard. But the change is worth it, believe me, and you are doing good. Look at you, thinking that sheep are just as much a bunch of jerks as the rest of us."

She guffawed a little. "I… Thanks…" she spoke, before looking at him, her expression fading somewhat. She nudged away, looking off into a corner of the room. "It's… I know why you did what you did, and you had to do what you had to do," she mumbled, sniffing a few times. She looked down, beginning to cry. "But it hurt, you two, it really really hurt… You were my heroes, and…"

"I know you may never forgive us," Judy said, "but that's fine."

"I don't feel like doing so," she said. "It never entered my mind, an' when I think back it still hurts. Then today you show up and I'm scared. I'm real scared because you might be taking me back again, and I really don't want to go back. I… I don't wanna go back there."

"And we're not taking you back," Judy said firmly, walking up to her. "Here. Hold my paw."

She glanced at it, then looked away.

"I'm not going to bite," she promised.

Honey looked down nervously, slowly reaching her paw out and touching it. They held on, getting firmer. "Maybe… Maybe I can never forgive you for that," she spoke. "It's nothing personal… Just… My body and mind says no forgive, and if that changes I'll say and do, but otherwise I tend to listen to my gut. But maybe we can work together, have fun that way, right?"

Judy paused and smiled. "Yeah, right."

Honey took a deep breath in and out. "Whew…. Hoo boy, real emotional stuff there," she commented, walking up and over to her fridge. "I guess I could grab some drinks. Snacks too. I got honey comb, honey chomps…"

"You do like your honey, Honey," Nick commented.

She guffawed a little. "Yeah, some people may think my parents are weird for callin' me that, but I'm thinking they hit the nail on the head."

"Well put," he smiled. "I'll have some coffee."

"Tea," Judy said, Skye agreeing. Jack asked if she had any sports drinks or anything to help out, especially now his app was making him do star jumps.

"I'll grab some water," she said, bringing out a tray and then a glass, filling it up as he exercised.

"I'm surprised you're not asking why he's doing that," Nick mused.

"Well I kind of figured it was his thing. We all have things, don't we?" she said, as she grabbed a mug, spooned in some instant coffee and added the hot water, a teaspoon of sugar, some milk and stirred. She then did the teas, one cup at a time, each step done in order.

"Well, it's a new one for him," Skye commented.

"-Annoyingly," the hare added, panting for breath.

Honey shrugged. "Hey, things gotta start somewhere." She then filled a bowl with cereal and milk, spooning some honeycomb fragments on top like massive sugar crystals. She brought everything over and settled down, picking up her bowl and beginning to munch away. "I mean, I always have this in the morning, but just then I figured why not snack on it now?" She took a spoonful and chewed it, her eyes squinting about before she swallowed. "Feels a bit odd, cereal in the afternoon."

"Hey," Nick replied. "A bugburga in the morning has the same effect on me."

"Really!?"

"Yeah," he replied.

She smiled a bit. "I am a bit like Nicky Wilde," she said, her grin growing as she took another chomp. "And this is _real_ good."

"I'm happy for you," Judy said. "But we do have business to discuss."

"Right," she mumbled, nodding. "I 'member hearing you mention that."

"Yup," Judy agreed, taking a deep breath. "I'm certain you didn't enjoy your stay in a mental hospital…"

"That's a hella nope."

"But it was done by mammals who wanted to make you better, and once that was done they let you out."

"Figures," she grumbled.

"But earlier today, something happened," the bunny said, bringing out her phone. What came next was a simple explanation of everything going, the plans involving Jack, Skye and the others, and what was needed from Honey.

She looked on, slurping the last of her cereal before breathing out. "Queen of the hive," she mumbled, stepping up and pacing around.

"You okay?" Skye asked.

"I…" she began, before shrugging. "I was going to say that that DA reminded me of who I used to be, who I was on my Ewetube channel and stuff. But…"

"He's worse," Judy finished.

"No," Honey said firmly, looking back. "I was _way_ worse. That's the freaky bit. After what you told me about him, I do _not_ like him, but in everything he said I kinda get the idea. Even if you don't like his history, politics, the way he works, yadda yadda… There's still some sense to it. What he's arguing makes logic. Go across into the states, 'specially certain parts, and what happened to your kit would be what happened to any kit in that situation. They'd lock him for however long it took before takin' him before the judge, and tough luck with that. There's a logic behind what he did. With me though, it didn't make sense. I… I can see that now," she mumbled. "It was just nonsense, and hate filled nonsense at that. I just rambled it out, coming up with new ways of why sheep were bad, posting it and posting it, going on and on and on."

"But you thought you were doing the right thing, didn't you?" Judy asked.

Honey cut it off with a snort. "Yeah, and I bet you my tail that so did Smellwether and all her bunch, him too!"

"But he's enjoying this," Nick said.

"And I didn't on seeing Bellwether busted?" Honey countered. "I certainly loved it when some newspapers started calling out sheep for their privilege, or some university places campaigning for sheep to be fired and preds put in their place. I enjoyed it when I saw a video of this old ram, campaigning against ovinophobia for years, being shouted at and bullied out of some meeting or other on species tolerance. Cuz it was our side fighting back, honey for the drone." She sighed, looking down and fidgeting with her paws. "See, this is why I don't like these new drugs sometimes, I… I was so sure, so certain, back then. And even though I knew there was this great evil, I knew how things worked. It's… it's just too complicated now."

"Well what isn't complicated is this, Honey," Nick said. "He enjoyed the fact that Kris was going to suffer, I can be sure of it. I'd also wager my own tail that he was one of Bellwether's cronies and in on the nighthowler plot, through and through. Finally, there is a mammal out there who did have access to those pellets and he chose to try and frame an innocent kit for them out of spite. We want to bring them both down and find the truth, and don't you agree that that's a good thing?"

"I…" she began, before nodding. "You know what, yeah. I got the idea that prison sucked big time compared to where I was at, so let's get your kit outta there!"

"Yeah," Judy said, pumping her fist.

"Oh, Bunny Cop?" she asked, smiling. "You're gonna work big time on this, aren't you?"

She turned and nodded. "For him, for his family, for you, absolutely, one-hundred percent."

"Right," she said, looking over to Jack. "And with you, I'm gonna be working with Skye to make up some funky spy gadgets. I like the sound of that!"

"Yup," the jackrabbit moaned. He'd previously been doing some push-ups.

"We'll also want a bit of security for Ash, the one we think this was supposed to be against in the first place," Nick noted. "After all, if it's not our weasel then it's someone else, who might try again. We just want to get a little bit of insurance, in case someone tries to get into his locker once more."

"Something I should be able to do," Honey smirked, leaning down to pick up the tray. "After all, I remember my sister grumbling about mammals being able to pick her locker in high school."

Nick chuckled. "Mammals like me! Though I went to twenty-second street high."

"You went to school in the ghetto!" Honey jibed, standing up.

"Grew up in Happytown Heights," he replied. "You'd never know it, given the fact that I can count to above ten."

"Must have had the same supplier," she mused. "My sister went to the Rainforest Magnet School, at least until she got her scholarship to Zoo-U. Which school did your chap go to?"

Nick paused, thinking. "Oh, Woodland Grove High, nice schoo…"

He was broken off by the clattering of the tray hitting the floor.

"You okay, Honey?" Skye asked, Jack walking over.

"Let me help you with that," he said.

"Yeah, yeah," she rushed, glancing around before dropping down, hurriedly piling the glasses back on. There was a pause, before Jack looked up.

"What did you realise?"

"Uh, nothing! -Nothing at all!"

He folded his arms. "I think we both know that isn't the answer."

"-Did you know that those two also arrested my sister!? Lionheart contacted her and hired her to work at cliffside, saying it was a national emergency and official secret and all that. Yup, that's who it was. I mean, trying to make the world a better place but duped a bit, right? Hope nobody has to ever deal with an actual zombie-'pocalypse, especially with the two super cops there. Would it count as torture, abduction, mutilation of a corpse or all three?" she chuckled, picking up the tray and taking it back. She opened up her dishwasher and began putting things in, humming a tune as she went, quickly finishing and turning around.

She looked at them and sighed.

"Honey?" Judy asked.

"-Please don't be mad."

"About what?"

"-This… -I knew this before I was treated, okay!" she shouted out, an edge of fear in her voice. "I knew it before, and I don't wanna say it because you might think I'm relapsing, going off against sheep and all again. But I'm not!" She sniffed, first one time and then a second. "I'm not… I don't wanna go back, I don't wanna go back…" She broke off, pacing off into her living room, Judy and Nick following.

"If you think there's a sheep involved in this, that's okay," Judy said. "Maybe some angry sheep did do this, who knows? But if you don't tell us, we don't know. We need everything."

"I…" she began, looking back, her voice hitching and eyes watering. "You promise. You promise that you won't… you understand that this isn't, I'm not…"

"I do," Judy said, nodding as she walked over and held her paw.

Honey looked on, nervous yet stoic, before walking back into the kitchen. "I used to dream of bringing you guys down here," she commented. "We'd plot to bring down the sheep and win freedom from it." Leaning down, under her sink, she pulled open the doors and cleaned away a bunch of the cleaning products to one side. Nick and Judy weren't sure what she was doing, but their eyes widened as she lifted up the bottom, revealing a submarine-like hatch. Straining a bit, she pulled through the rust and twisted it open, hauling it up and then descending down. "Come on in."

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"You could ride out the apocalypse down here," Nick gasped, looking around. Carved into the very roots of the tree tower was a bunker. Wide enough for three wolf sized beds, and at least five times as long, it had an arched roof of corrugated metal and was stocked with all sorts of supplies.

"That kinda was the logic," Honey noted, as Skye came down, balancing herself as she got her crutches back on before looking around.

"This is amazing!" she gasped.

The ratel blinked. "Y-ya think!?"

"I think we all do," Judy agreed. "I mean, okay, my house is made out of loads of these kinds of tunnels. But you did it all by yourself!"

"I…" she began, smiling a little. "Yeah, I did." Her brief happiness was broken off as she glanced to the side, her eyes going wide. "Oh, hold on, no-no-nooooo…."

"What?" Nick asked.

Honey glanced up mournfully, holding a big box and sniffing. "My moths of freedom have all died…"

She tilted the box forward, revealing a pile of white corpses. Judy gasped. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry…" She'd never been into keeping insects, but from her university days she knew one wolf who'd been really into beetles. They could get very emotionally connected.

Honey sighed. "Nah… It's fine, didn't have much of a purpose now, anyway. No need to release them on attacking sheep, now I know things are different and such."

"I…" Judy began, pausing, "Would that even work?"

"I thought it would," Honey replied. "Or at least provide a distraction for all the other stuff."

The group glanced around, realising that there was an awful lot of stuff in the bunker specifically aimed for the clipping, messing up or outright removal of wool. From giant hedge-clippers and garden shears to paintball guns and burr launchers, she had a significant arsenal of debatable effectiveness.

"As I was saying," she mumbled. "Old me, and…"

"Hey, skeletons in the closet," Nick shrugged. "What is it that you want to show us?"

Honey took a breath in and led them to a desk at the back of the bunker, a massive conspiracy board spread out. Various pictures of sheep, interspersed with notes, clippings and even memes were laid out on a map of the city. "This… This is where I was laying it all out," she said, matter of factly. "Which sheep did what, who their allies were, you even have our DA there." She pointed to his picture. "All connected to the cudspiracy, well almost all of it."

"-Almost?" Judy asked.

Honey pointed to a small area in the corner, disconnected from the rest, showing a picture of a red and grey squirrel going around, taking in the sights with some cameras. "One time I just saw a red and grey squirrel getting along and…" She made a mind blown gesture with her paw and head.

Nick nodded along, while Judy's ears drooped lightly, a fed up look on her face.

"Thought I'd follow them around a bit, thinking they were a part of it but never finding the connection. There was a bit of them dealing with some big cats, or this wolf with an eye patch, some comments about some friends and an old enemy. They even stopped to visit a florist a few times, before talking to each other in a foreign language. I mean, I was even able to work out how _The Dark Flame Wolf_ meshed into the cudspiracy, but that lot… Complete blank."

There was a snort from Skye. "Long time since I heard that urban legend. Did you figure out where the mothmammal fits in too?"

"I," Honey began, before turning back to her board. "Uhhhhhh… Hmmmmm…"

Nick, his ears tilted back, gave Skye an odd, half-condescending half-envious look, before turning back to the ratel. "I guess they're foreign businessmammals then," he said.

Honey looked back and nodded. "Oh, right… Yeah. Makes logic. Before I was going for North Korean spies, but whatever… Anyway, anyway…" She trailed off, taking a breath in. "I was tracking Bellwether back when she was simply running under Lionheart. Not just her, but her contacts, her friends, her family. That all became more important after she was revealed, because who else could try and finish her work other than her heir?"

"Bellwether's heir?" Nick asked.

Honey nodded. "Dawn had a boyfriend at the time, not Doug by the way, and no children. She had a younger brother though, who had a family at an early age, given that they're a rich family and he got into banking and such. They… After the fallout, they… They changed their surname, moved jobs and schools and I tracked them. And when you said the name of that school, it rang a bell, because that's the school her heir, her niece, goes to."

"Oh sweet cheese and crackers," Judy said, her voice cracking hard. Nick looked at her in concern, realising something bad was going on. Honey carried on as normal.

"Her name is…" She was cut off as Judy walked past her, touching a blurry picture on the board.

"Maisy," Judy sniffed, shivering slightly. "Maisy Calrama."


	57. An Anonymous Vulpine 13

**Chapter 13**

**.**

**AN: Major thanks to Giftheck, who did an artwork of Maisy Calrama for me, currently up on the A03 version.**

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"Right then son," Mr Fox announced, slipping into his office. "As part of our multi-faceted multi-pronged multi-thought-out plan for solving this issue, we need to get a hippo incredibly drunk."

Following on, Ash nodded. "Right. How would we do that?"

"Well," he spoke cunningly as he opened up his desk. "There are two simple schools of thought. One, you increase the potency of what he's drinking. Two, you decrease or remove the potency of what you're drinking. I, naturally, go for both of them. First off, should I ever wish to make the other side more drunk, I have this!"

He dove in and pulled out a key. Ash blinked a few times, before rolling his paw to tell his father that he needed to get on to the next step.

"Not just any key!" he announced, before diving down below his desk, grabbing the floorboards and lifting up a hatch. A shaft and ladder were revealed, which he grabbed and sailed down. "-Now, back when you were into clearing this old bootlegging tunnel to the nocturnal district out, did you ever notice a certain safe by the side?"

"Yes."

"In which case, you must have been ever curious about what was in it. Well, today, it is revealed!"

Mr Fox emerged out again, putting down a cobweb covered bottle with a loud thud. The ceramic was faded and cracked, the labels long since decayed off, unlike the multitude of black 'X's' which covered it like a cheetah's spots. "This is not like that cider, son. This is not a drink for mammal consumption, this is a drink for tactical warfare!"

Ash's head cocked a little, and he leant forward to open it up, only for his father to block him.

"Let me just," he began to say, looking around. "-Right, no open flames, go ahead."

Ash did so, only to back off in a fit of coughing and spluttering. Waving his paw in front of his nose, he leant outside of the room to get some fresh air, before looking back in. "Okay, so we lace his drink with that, right?"

"Right, sort of," he said. "This mammal we're facing didn't get anywhere by being unintelligent, so it stands to reason that he'd be able to detect when a drink or such had been amped up with this. At least, of course, with his usual faculties. So, this is our, as your generation might put it, _quote-unquote_ finishing move."

"Okay, and do we use some kind of hidden tube system to put it in or what?"

"A hidden tube system is exactly what we'll be using," he said, bringing out a length of thin pipe. "Stuff this in your sleeve, point it over his drink and give your armpit baggie a firm squeeze whenever you want to apply some. Skye is working on a rough set-up as we speak."

"And do we use a seperate baggy to pull our drinks out of their glass?" he asked. "Use some valves and stuff… Or maybe a paw-pump in your pocket!"

"Excellent ideas which I'll be running by Skye," he said. "Though usually I stick to the classic funnel under the jacket approach."

"But that relies on your target looking the other way," Ash reasoned. "Whereas sucking it out slowly could happen right under his nose, especially after he's already had a few."

"Which is why both ideas have perfect validity," Mr Fox carried on. "Indeed, Discreet Drink Disposal is a long and proud tradition. I remember my first time, using the handy dispensary that was Kylie's pouch…" He phased off, looking up and reminiscing.

Ash's face screwed up in confusion. "You've done this before? -With Kylie? -His pouch…?"

"Yes, yes and yes. He is a marsupial, after all."

"And a man. He doesn't have a pouch."

"Yes, which is why we faked one."

"But… He's still a man."

"Ah, but _they_ didn't know that," he said with a wink. "It was a role he was born to play, I didn't even have to change his name."

Ash tried to imagine the opossum in drag, then tried to obliterate that mental image from his mind (with greatly reduced results).

"Anyhow," he spoke, "all different methods in which to greatly reduce the amount of intoxicants that our party is taking in, while increasing the amount that the opposing party is taking in."

"But, we'll still be taking in some."

"You know, you sound just like our secret agent bunny there," Mr Fox commented. "Regardless, our techniques will do enough."

"And I suppose that as Retsuko and Haida are planning to recruit someone, and we also have Jack, we could swap them out at the mid-point."

Mr Fox paused, blinking a few times. "An excellent additional card up our already well stuffed sleeves. Well done."

Ash stood up proud, smiling, before jumping up in the air. "Oooh, another idea!"

"Hit me."

"Some of the alcohol will go in our guys mouth, right?"

"Right."

"So why not get it out of there before it's swallowed?"

"That would require major surgery and would probably be incredibly painful."

"I… -Well, why don't you absorb it?" he carried on. "Some cloth or something either side of your teeth," he explained, hooking his lower lips with his claws to reveal the space between his gums and his muzzle. "You slosh the drink into them, they suck it up, you fake swallow and, when you can, you swap them out!"

Mr Fox nodded his head, considering it. "Maybe you could, but you would require some kind of high absorbency microfibres, which may be well out of our means to procure."

Ash balled his fists and held them against his hips. "That's not your attitude. Of course we can procure them!"

"Well, maybe, if we knew the right place or supplier. But it might be an order in job from a specialist supplier, and it may be too late anyway."

"Or we may already have some," Ash suggested.

"I severely doubt that."

"I severely don't doubt that and am willing to bet on it."

"Bet on it, hmmm?" Mr Fox questioned, a sly smile growing on his face. "What are your terms."

"My allowance. Quadruple or nothing."

"Agreed," Mr Fox began. "And now you're likely going to go down that tunnel and bring out something you found down there and make me look stupid."

"Oh no, you brought in our high-liquid absorbing solution."

"Did I now?"

"Yes."

"Starting a week ago to two days ago."

"Are we on the same page here, as I'm getting nothing."

"The two days ago one was when they had a mega-sale on the jumbo pack down at the mother-and-cub store."

"Oh, disposable mammalian waste absorbing undergarments. I'd forgotten about those."

"Right, and now my allowance is quadrupled."

"Not so fast," Mr Fox countered. "Let's recap, because if this doesn't work it's nothing. You're suggesting that, in order to avoid ingesting any alcohol during this scheme, our guy sticks my as yet unborn second kit's diapers in his mouth."

"No. I was more thinking that you could stuff the fillings from them into a kind of cheese-cloth sausage thing, that you can then stick in your mouth. -You can paint them pink too, to blend in. If they're in your top lip, they'll be hidden throughout and avoid over-saturation from your own saliva. -And we could have some set-up to help swap them out often."

Mr Fox blinked a few times, before getting onto his knees. "Son. That is a sly, cunning, brilliantly thought out scheme. I'm proud of you." He lunged forward, hugging him tight. Ash couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks."

The soft moment of father and son bonding was cut short though by a banging on the door, the older fox looking up. "Ah! Fenneko, _Vulpes zerda_, got the location where we will launch our sting yet? Or is it time for us to meet this Ewetuber of ours."

The door slammed open and a tired looking grey bunny marched in. "Judy Hopps, _Oryctolagus cuniculus_," she spoke, before slumping down on a chair. The two foxes briefly noted that Nick, Jack, Skye and a female honey badger (_Mellivora capensis_) were also there, before the bunny continued. "We have a new suspect."

"On top of the weasel?" Mr Fox asked.

"-Apparently so," Fenneko chimed in, walking in after the others. "Given the suggested story, it does line up. Also, your meeting is coming up, but we have the time to drop one major bombshell."

"Who is it then?" Ash asked, before frowning. "And why are you looking at me like that?"

"We think…" Judy began, before breathing in and out. "We think that one of your friends might have planted them."

He blinked, his ears folding back. "N-no…" he said, shaking his head, his tail drooping down between his legs. "I mean… You say friend, you don't mean an actual _friend_ of mine, right? You're just meaning that in a general sense of mammals I know in school, whether they are friendly to me or not. Right…?"

…

"Not right, then," he said, looking down.

Judy nodded. "This here is Honey," she said, gesturing back to the ratel.

"Hi there."

"Hi."

"She kept track of a lot of…"

"-Used to keep track," she interrupted harshly. Judy broke off, looking back at her, her ears drooping as she face-pawed.

"Sorry, I…"

"Accepted," she grunted, walking over to Ash. "Hey. I used to think all sheep were evil, I got treated and don't now. But back then I tracked down all those connected to Dawn Bellwether and her plot, and basically your friend Maisy is Bellwether's heir. She might have done it."

Ash blinked a few times. "-Maisy…? -But she trips over her own tail to be good to preds, especially given all the hurt some gave her for being a sheep. Why would…" He trailed off, frowning. "What do you even mean by her being Bellwether's heir?"

"She's her niece," Judy explained.

"Yeah," Honey carried on. "Born Maisy Bellwether to Dominic and Alicia Bellwether; Dominic, Dawn and Dexter Bellwether being children of Astor and Sandra Bellwether. After the initial plot, Dexter, the oldest and unmarried child, kept his surname and position as a professor of medicine up at the University of Barkley. -He was very cooperative with the investigation, so they didn't need to extradite him or what not, but it's up in the air whether he was hella deep in or completely clueless, 'specially given that without him Doug and Dawn would never have met. Ramses was his Master's student going back and they even did some research papers together, before Doug went into the whole evil pred darting sheep industry. Dominic and Alicia though, the former got rich from trading stocks as a teen, landed himself a job at a hedge fund when he was twenty, then married and had a child super young, did the opposite. Left their jobs, changed their surnames, reapplied hoping to avoid all the heat." There was a pause, and a sigh. "Heat from mammals not even as bad as I was. But the point is that their daughter, Bellwether's niece, is the ewe that you know as Maisy Calrama."

Ash looked at her, then shook his head. "Do you have any proof?"

"-I tested it for her," Fenneko said, turning her computer around. "Maisy Calrama, Furbook profile, alongside various other social media accounts. _All_ started within the first few days of each other, two weeks after the arrest of the former mayor and unravelling of her plot. Meanwhile…" She typed a bit. "Maisy Bellwether… Last posts and freezing of accounts, the same week."

Ash began to tremble as he viewed the two profiles. Tracking back through Maisy's profile to the earliest pics, and then glancing over to the last ones on the other. From oddly thin wool back to thick stuff, but the sheep beneath it all was the same. He looked over and scrolled through the earlier posts, seeing his friend talking about how the hated ex-mayor was good, how she was doing her best, how she was proud of her, how the claims that she was behind the savage cases was crazy. And then there was a picture of them, together, all smiling. The young fox backed away.

"-Also," Fenneko spoke, "if you compare fandoms, interests and the key hobbies you'll…"

"-I get it!" he shouted, only to break off trembling a little. He closed his eyes, breathed in and out before growling. "But… But she's not like that! She's different. I… I trusted her, and you really think she tried to hurt me? Why?"

"To hurt us," Judy spoke. "Nick and I took away her favourite aunt, turned her world upside down, and then she finds out that we have a friend in you. Frame you up, and she can cause us the same pain that we caused her."

He frowned. "That's dumb."

"She's young and emotional," Judy sighed.

"I wasn't saying she was dumb," he said, his voice flaring up. "I'm saying the idea is dumb. She's scared and self conscious of being a sheep, because of…" he trailed off, rubbing his eyes. "Because she thought that people would link her to Dawn. It… Was it all a lie?" He looked up at his father, fearfully. "Was she lying to me all this time?"

"Well," Honey began. "She was certainly omitting a lot of the tru… -OW!" She backed off from where Judy had elbowed her, rubbing it and scowling. "Hey!"

"It was just a light tap, as now wasn't the time," Judy explained.

Honey backed away, Nick nudging in. "Don't worry, just a light bit of honey badger abuse, you'll get used to it."

"She's mean."

"I'm…" Judy began to say, only to grunt, pinching the bridge of her nose and sighing. She looked back to Ash. "She was a transfer to your school, right?"

"Yeah, but it was at the start of the last calendar year. That was almost a full sixth months _after_ all that went down."

"They may well have hired a tutor or something for then," Judy replied. "They're a rich family. She then chose to go back into schooling once all the attention had gone down, entering in and meeting up."

"But…" Ash began. "But she was nice to us. She didn't have a problem with predators!"

"And I didn't think Bellwether did, either," Judy countered. "She mainly went after them for her own power. Sure there was resentment, especially against larger preds, and she levered the resources of some who really did hate preds. But put her in a room with them and you wouldn't know… I didn't know."

"I… -Maybe she was forced!"

"Ash…"

"No, I'm serious here," he spoke, a desperate edge in his voice. "Maybe her parents forced her to do this, against us. Maybe that's why she did it against Kris, as she thought he could weather it better and the whole wrong name thing would cause the cops confusion. She'd have to get the howlers from somewhere, right?"

Nick clicked his fingers. "He has a point. If it was her in any way, shape or form, her parents or a parent were likely involved as well. Maybe they had a small cache of the things that they were keeping safe for Dawn? If it was her idea, she could have asked for them. But if she was being coerced, and given how fretful she seemed in our brief encounter and how much you trust her, I'm leaning more towards that, they'd have provided her and told her what to do."

"And if she was forced then she can tell us and be safe?" Ash asked. "She doesn't have to go to jail or anything, or be punished, as they were making her. Right? Right…?"

"That would need a formal plea deal," Judy explained. "But if she liked you and didn't want you to suffer, why would she tell her parents if they were the…" She trailed off, her face going pale. "Oh sweet cheese and crackers. I've done it again."

"Carrots?" Nick asked, as her face slumped into her paws.

"I've messed it up again! I'm such a stupid, useless, fox-harming DUMB bunny…"

"Uhhh," Honey began. "I think I've missed something here."

"Join the club and just enjoy the ride," Jack replied, gesturing to himself and Skye.

"Nick and I went to a meditation class hosted by Kris," Judy explained, turning to Jack and Skye. "Before our date. Yesterday! He and Ash are there, and they bring along Maisy Calrama too, that's how I knew her and she knew me. She sees us, panics, walks away and I think it's just been because of bullies picking on her because she's a sheep and her being self conscious. But oh no, it's because she realises that we might know about her, or her parents might find out about us and exactly this happens. So she leaves, hoping for it to never come up again. Only, what do you know, I'm a BIG dumb bunny and ask Ash and Kris' friend Agnes to send a text, telling her how much of a big group of friends we all are together. Given what that family might be up to, who wants to bet that they might read her texts and messages, or it pings up while she's in the room with them. So they see it, and get angry that they didn't know before, and then she's ordered to slip a howler into someone's locker, all in the name of revenge."

"You don't know that," Nick said.

Mr Fox nodded. "Though it would explain an awful lot."

Nick shot him a look, before looking down at Judy. "You weren't to know."

"Tch… Just like I wasn't to know about how I'd draw mammals in against this family. Just like I didn't know that Duke might go against us. Just like I didn't know about how that law I quite liked would be used. Just like I happily went on my way and hurt Honey, and hurt you Nick, and hurt all those predators in Zootopia because of my dumb words and now, whoopsie, the two predators in zootopia who weren't hurt back then as they weren't here have now been hurt because I messed up."

"Ever heard of the butterfly effect?" Ash asked, Judy turning to look at him. "Each word I speak might nudge a hurricane into a city or something but I don't worry over everything. Doing so is just dumb."

"It is when you can't make a firm connection; I can."

"What, crazy connections like how that worried sheep was Bellwether's heir," Honey asked, frowning as she marched up to Judy. "Now, you listen here. If you'd have been able to think or guess about that back then, then your mind would have had to be running at a million miles an hour, and you literally thinking of a bajillion or so different crazy ideas at the same time. You'd literally become old me, and old me had to be sent to the looney bin to get fixed!"

"I…" she began, biting her bottom lip with her buck teeth. "Okay, yeah, point taken," she admitted. "I'd probably try and bust out too…"

"Oh totally," Nick agreed.

"Can I be the one to tranq her this time?" Honey asked. "Y'know, even stevens?"

"Be my guest," the bunny said, dryly. "But… Urgh… Every time we come across a new clue or new idea, it's something that I had a paw in. Some way that I, without knowing it, messed up. And yes, we all make mistakes, we're all different. But those mistakes have landed a sweet, mature, innocent kit in a hardcore prison. So, I come in and I want to try, try and help him in whatever way I can. And now we're discussing ways to fake our identity and dupe a distressed head teacher who's probably beating herself up about all this. We're talking about suspecting a friend from school and setting up a way for her to sell out her parents. You over there are basically talking about how to spike a public official's drinks! I'm recruiting help from a mammal whose heart I crushed, betraying her when I was her hero, and who's still scared to some extent that I'll send her back to the asylum…"

"-Nah, I'd say that's over," Honey said. "The scared of the asylum bit, not the crushing betrayal bit."

Nick groaned. "Started out good, went downhill."

She shrugged. "Just being honest, honest."

Judy groaned. "Listen, on top of all of that, all of this might be because, way back, I decided that the best way to get some information out of a weasel was to use my mob connections to threaten his life. And now he hates me and may have tried to harm the ones that I love. How many more will hate me after this?"

There was a long pause, before Skye came forward. "Hey, Judy? If what I remember about that mob connection thing was true, it was never intended. You saved an innocent mammal's life and he felt indebted to you. As for that weasel, you getting the information out of him helped save this city! I was starting to plan a permanent move out to Vegas given what was going on, but then you saved the day. You did what you felt needed to be done at the time to do the right thing, and don't let anyone take that away from you. You saved a life. You saved a city. Now go save a kit."

Judy looked up, her eyes hardening with determination. "You know what, you're right. I'm Judy Hopps of the ZPD, and I do NOT know when to quit! Maisy Calrama might be involved, might be being forced into this by her parents? Well, we can inform the ZPD, inform them about all our theories and stuff, and let them run the official investigations as well. In fact, I'm pretty sure we had to do this anyhow, but attack from two fronts is better than one. I can walk around, asking questions. I can pour through the jam cams, seeing if I can see where our weasel went or not. I am going to try more than I have ever tried, and save Kristofferson Silverfox or die trying!"

"Yeah!" Mr Fox cheered. "Bar a slight quibble with the last three words, that's what I want to see. Skye, we can work together to deal with the whole alcohol thing. Thanks to a cunning plan by Ash, even my wife's knitting and culinary skills may come into use."

"I can help too," Ash spoke. "I go to Maisy's school, don't I? I can do my own investigation there. Tomorrow, I'm bringing home homework and the truth."

Honey smiled. "I can help, I guess. Gadgets here, old sheep intel there… It'll be fun to see what scratching against the right tree is like."

Fenneko smiled. "Together with our intelligence networks combined, we can rule this city as fennecs and ratel."

"Fennecs?" she asked, getting a screenshot of her and Finnick in response. "Oh, he's cute. Very very cute…"

"Sorry, but he's hot as heck and all mine."

"Nah, I didn't mean it like that," she waved off. "Though now you mention it…-no, can't get distracted. We're on a mission!"

"Yes we are," Fenneko agreed. "Anyway, one bombshell over, Mr Fox, you, your wife and brother in law have an interview to go to with an Ewetuber. And talking about missions, Jack, I've located a potential position to intercept our headmistress. Your friend from the theatre delivered your disguise. Are you ready to rumble?"

He stepped forward and nodded. "Secret agent Jack Savage, reporting for duty!"


	58. An Anonymous Vulpine C14

**Chapter 14**

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**AN: Many thanks to the guys on the ZAA server who read this and suggested a few fun little additions.**

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_Corner of 119th Street and Lakivot Lane._

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"So," Nick asked, looking around the van. "The plan?"

"Yes," Judy pressed. "The not-illegal plan. What is it?"

Jack, busy applying some fur-dye over his body to hide his stripes, smiled. "That would ruin the surprise."

"This isn't the time," the grey doe pressed, her foot beginning to tap.

"If it's any consolation," Fenneko began, "I checked the local bylaws and it isn't illegal. Just arguably highly immoral depending on your viewpoint."

"Also," Honey spoke. "You can't just go ruining a surprise."

"I'm beginning to think that we should have left you at the house," Judy grunted, only to pause as Skye cleared her throat.

"She brought over her voice recording glasses and knows how to set them up," the swift fox vixen explained. "So she can help."

"Yeah," Finnick grunted. "And it's not as if my van ain't lacking for space."

"Whereas we are lacking for time," Fenneko explained. "Because, if my theories are correct…" She stood up, slipping into the front and peeking out over the dashboard. Eyes narrowing, she scanned around, her vision focussing on a bespectacled springbok. "Eyes on the prize, here comes our big game."

"Right," Jack spoke, as he fished around in his bag and put on the rest of his costume. A pair of light tan green trousers, a black collared shirt, and an army green jacket on top. Picking up the glasses, specifically a pair with broad and round lenses in a thin wire frame, he placed them on. "Testing, testing."

"Picking you up," Honey said.

"Hang on," Judy realised. "We don't need a recording for this."

"No," Jack said, shrugging. "But I do like the glasses. Helps me get into character."

"He does look very genial," Nick pointed out. Indeed he did. His jet black shirt tucked in, he looked a little scruffy but had an underlying smartness to him, helped by the glasses (which gave him an older and more educated look) and the covering of his stripes (making him look like a regular black-tailed jackrabbit). The red fox, being used to acting a role in old hustles, would label him off as a very convincing warm and gentle (if a bit of a maverick in his field) university professor. Probably teaching history and archaeology.

And then he reached into a bag and brought out two last pieces of clothing, hanging one around his neck and fitting the other into his collar, and Nick couldn't help but speak out. "Oh, now that's clever Stripes!"

Judy looked less convinced. "Seriously, Jack?"

"Oh don't worry," he said, his voice suddenly softer. "I can assure you that the local bylaws say that this is quite legal. Now, if you excuse me, I think there is a soul in need of guidance."

And, with that, he slipped out and walked over, entering into the same coffee shop that the principal had done, watching and waiting.

.

.

"Hi Angela!" The cheery caracal barista asked. "Your regular?"

The springbok looking back sighed and nodded, watching as a cup of mocha and a pasteis de nata were slid over. She blankly held her card over the reader, letting it beep, before leaning over to grab the items.

"I'm guessing it was a tough day," the feline spoke.

"You could say that…"

"Well, tell you what! I'll…"

"Sammy," Angela spoke out, looking down as she did so. "I… -This is something serious, and I understand if you're trying to cheer me up, but this is a situation where it would not work. I wish I could explain why, but I can't, which is part of the whole problem. So, if you could, could you please just give me some time by myself? Thank you."

Sammy's ears drooped back severely, gulping. "Cream and marshmallows?" she suggested, weakly.

The springbok gave a slight smile. "Yes please. Thank you."

It was quickly served up, a sprinkling of chocolate powder on top and a flake in the side as a final flourish, before Angela took it off.

"Feel better soon!" she cheered, as the school principal made her way down to her usual seat. Sliding out her drink and food, she looked at it blankly while fumbling with her bag. While primarily in an administrative role now, she was still a teacher at heart and did still host some lessons; albeit in the politics module, which was only an option in the final two years and little favoured. She had four separate classes, two per year, which took up twenty hours of her week, excluding homework and marking. After work every day, she'd usually settle here and spend an hour or two reviewing the work done. Today though she didn't have the heart in it. She could only sip her drink and look out of the window of Catpuccino. She didn't feel like a failure, yet somehow it made it worse.

Dammit, she didn't know what to think and do about all of it and had no-one, absolutely no-one, to turn to. A sip of her drink, the added sweetness doing nothing to lift her mood. She wondered how his cousin, Ash, was doing. She could speak from her heart to him and, in her gut, she felt that she'd done the best she could. She'd helped him, and with his family and such he'd be okay. But he wasn't the mammal in peril right now, a mammal who she hadn't even had the chance to help. What could she even say if she'd had the chance. Well, there was one thing, but would it even…

"-Oh, excuse me, mind if I sit here?"

She looked around, before blinking a few times as she saw a booster seat being walked up to the end of the table. While they were mainly used for baby calves they were also designed for smaller mammals to use and, as such, had ladders at the back. A pair of ears emerged from above the varnished wooden back, rising up and up. She was guessing from their size that it was a jackrabbit. After all, with regular bunnies you didn't have the light from the other side coming through the narrow skin, whereas with this buck you could even see the darker outline of the veins. Up his head came, giving a warm and gentle smile, before her curiosity piqued a little as she saw his white collar and cross necklace. "Sure, Father."

"Thank you very much, dear child," he said happily, as he slid down onto the white padded seat. He poured out a bottle of apple and mango juice while slowly opening up a blueberry muffin, seemingly appreciating each newly revealed face.

"Guess it's always a bit crowded in the small mammal area," Angela remarked, taking a sip of her own drink. She noted that he had a slight hispanic lisp in his voice, and she wondered where he came from and what he was doing here (and not just at this large mammal table).

"Well, it often is, often isn't, but it's more the low ceiling," he sighed, glancing down.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Oh, I'm a hare, not a bunny you see," beginning to roll it out.

"So not a burrower," Angela finished. "Claustrophobia?"

He chuckled every so slightly. "Thanks for saying it out for me." He picked out a small bite of his muffin and held it up, nibbling on it a little. "Still a bit of a sore subject."

She felt a little bit of kinship, and wondered whether it would be selfish or not to ask him about it. Would it be giving her closure if she could help him whereas she couldn't help…

"I was on an exercise out at Yena when it happened…"

"-Yena?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Ah yes, you wouldn't know," he mumbled. ""Yena Proving Ground, a war game site for the United States Army."

"You're a veteran?"

"Not of any wars, thankfully," he spoke, rolling his paws around. "I was once a young, dumb buck, thinking that my country and guns were the greatest things in the world." There was a pause and a chuckle. "I was about twelve or so when the first gulf war hit, and I got it into my head that I wanted to be a tank driver after hearing about the Battle of 73 Easting. I was a fighter back then, like plenty of young bucks I did a lot of lapin weight boxing, and my blood was hot."

He paused, noting her slight confused expression, before his paws briefly turned into an air-beating blur. He stopped after a second or two and shrugged, smiling warmly.

"So, age eighteen after getting flat out drunk one last time on the beaches of San Dingo, I rested it off, said farewell to mother and the four younger leveretts before walking myself down to the recruiting office. Oh, I had fun there for a time, and being in a tank certainly did give you a bit of excitement. They like smaller mammals in the tanks, given that it's all largely electronic now. I was a gunner assistant, helping to feed the ammunition up, so I was holding on in the bottom and rocking along as we went through the desert, blasting out rock music or maybe _Ride of the Valkyries_ as we went. We drove an M3 Batley, which is a light tank used for scouting, and one day this fox who'd trained on heavy tanks was transferred over to us at the last minute. Mother never really liked foxes, but he was a kindly fellow, as much as we knew him." He trailed off, looking down sadly.

"I'm guessing though that he was expecting it to handle like a heavy tank. We were on a wargame, scouting out, aiming to cross a river a few miles upstream of the main force to recon. So we were rolling ourselves along and laughing, him sticking out the top with his fur blowing in the breeze, when he must have missed a bern until the very last moment. I remember him swearing, jamming left, I was shaken to the side and then we slid over and rolled into the water, him taking the full force of it, rest his soul."

There was a long pause, Angela sighing. "I'm sorry."

"Well, I suppose you can figure out the rest," he shrugged. "It's a desert river, not deep, but it flooded the bottom half, or top, or whatever of the vehicle and three of us were stuck in there for a few days before the army realised that something was up and finally found us. The hatch to my compartment was jammed, so I was stuck in a tight space and… Well, never really liked tight spaces after that."

"So I'm guessing you left and then found your calling."

He smiled. "Well, fearing for my life and locked in there, I remembered back to that battle that had once inspired me. All those mammals, sitting in their vehicles only for it to be hit, burning and smoking as they were trapped inside with their dead brothers. I had to think long and hard about what I wanted out of life, and what I owed other people after that."

She nodded. "I happen to be a teacher. The head of a school, actually," she said, sighing. "I always had a desire to help young…" She choked up a bit, glancing away, the memory of his young fox friend and a young, wide eyed, optimistic fox who she knew colliding harshly. "Young mammals," she continued.

"A very valiant calling, and I'm sure all your students look up to you," he remarked. He took a few more bites of his muffin and a drink of his juice. "Must be hard being a child these days. I wasn't in the city for the horrible stuff that happened a few years ago, but I feel for those who had to grow up, their formative years spent with so much hate and anger flying about."

"I…" she muttered, trying to think of the right words. "Many of them did take it hard. But kits… -I think you'll find that children can be more resilient, brave and mature than many give them credit for. They survived. They'll survive." She breathed in and out, before reaching down to grab a napkin, dabbing her eyes. Dammit, she hoped that she was right.

"As long as they have someone to talk to," he remarked. "I think everyone needs someone to talk to."

"Yes," she sighed, gritting her teeth. She reached down to her drink and took a few deep gulps, trying to focus on the taste over anything else.

"You seem upset, child?"

She hissed. "I'm afraid I am," she spoke. "Let's just say that something bad happened at my school. And thanks very much for the offer to hear me, I would gladly take it if I could."

"And can't you?"

"You were in the army, weren't you?" she remarked. "Surely you understand that some things are confidential, right?"

He nodded. "I do. Though not so much from the army. From the priesthood though… -I could have a mass-murderer come in and say that he's killed a dozen young cubs and will go on to slaughter a dozen more kits. I'd have to keep that to myself."

She paused, looking over. "Wouldn't it be better to admit it?"

"Can't," he remarked. "Confession is between us and The Lord and nobody else, even the law. I legally can't be required to testify it even if I wanted to. And oh, I've thought about what happens if you do get such a person coming in, it's a mighty fright and I feel sorry for any fellow mammal of the cloth put into that position. But we all have our crosses to bear, don't we?"

"I… We do…"

"Though some can help others carry theirs…"

She looked around, her eyes dropping to stare at her tart. "In the army," she began, "could you confess to the priests?"

"Even if you signed the official secrets act. You could spill it all to them and be fine."

She took a breath in and out, before looking down. "There's a student," she spoke. "A recent transfer, he was mature, clever, intelligent. A credit to his family and species and… -Well, they found something serious in his locker earlier today and hauled him off, straight up cuffs and all."

"All souls are at risk of trespass," he remarked. "What is youth for if not for making mistakes?"

"The thing is I think his arrest was a mistake," she said. "They came because of a call to the police, saying that the stuff was present. Only it wouldn't be in _his_ locker. It was meant to be in his cousin's locker, the one above, so maybe there was a mix up or a mistake. But I was taking that cousin back to my office after. All the police were suspecting him before and the poor kit had obviously realised that something was up. He was distraught, and he'd already had a tough few years. I wanted to explain it all, I'd have thought that it was his right to know that the call was originally against him, but the assisting officer told me to shut up about it. Now there's all these laws about what I'm allowed to say or not, I'm not sure where I lie, and his mother, who was always a sharp one, is questioning me and is likely on to it too." She sighed. "I'm not sure what to do, and all I know is that there's two scared mammals who could be helped by this information, but I can't tell them without risking my job, career, and everything. Then again, isn't that selfish, going against why I joined this profession in the first place?"

The jackrabbit priest nodded. "Well, it certainly is an awful predicament you're in. Tell me though, have you ever heard the phrase that ignorance is bliss?"

She nodded. "So it's best not to tell them?"

"Well, maybe right now they don't know what's going on. The one the call was out against might fear it, but he could write it off as paranoia or survivors guilt. You tell him though, and he has the dead certainty that it was put against him. Again, this might have been mistaken identity on the reporter's behalf. But if, say, it wasn't either of them responsible then there's a weight over his head that might be coming down at any moment. If not, if it was the kit or the cousin who put whatever it was where it was, then that might fuel resentment between them when they need to be together as much as they can. Sometimes, indeed, ignorance is bliss."

"And what if they figure it out via my moments of silence?"

He shrugged. "Then they work it out, and you saying or not and risking your career and all is a moot point. Maybe you feel that's selfish, but consider this advice I got about the whole mass murderer confession situation. How many mammals do you think turn to us for advice, for comfort, for guidance in their darkest hours?"

"Millions?"

"Likely more," he said, smiling warmly. "And they go to it because there is this sanctity. An unbroken seal of trust. Yes, in one of those million cases you might have a situation like the one I outlined and yes, telling might save a few lives in the moment. But, you then break that seal. And the seal is sacrimont. Without it, the faith in all those millions of cases is broken. You wouldn't have been able to speak your worries to me just now, as you couldn't have fully trusted me. If you, truly, as an individual feel that it's worth throwing it all away and living with your loss, then that is your choice. But in my mind, you are likely a wonderful teacher. Even in this situation, you gave guidance and support, and in the future you will carry on doing so. I think that the life giving advice that thousands of young mammals will receive from you is not worth giving away today. Arguably, to do that for the feeling that you need to help out would be the selfish option. Right?"

Angela looked away, before smiling. "Thank you, Father." She felt relieved. Things still sat uncomfortably with her, she didn't doubt that they'd sit comfortably for anyone. But, thanks to him, she'd been able to speak. It was a weight off her shoulders, and she had the feeling that she'd made the right choice. She'd go on making it. "Thank you indeed. It feels good… to talk."

He smiled and nodded. "It does. And best of luck to you and those poor kits. May The Lord watch over them."

"May he indeed," she remarked, breathing in and out and taking a bite out of her pastry. At least Kristofferson was back with his father, his family back together and able to support each other and find out the truth about this.

The priest gave her a few rights in latin, before finishing his food and slipping out.

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.

Jack slipped back into the van to cheers and a round of applause. "Mission one. Successful," he smirked, as Skye grabbed him and hugged him tight.

"You were brilliant!"

Nick agreed. "Way to go Stripes!"

"Naturally," he swooned back, or at least tried to. Skye had him held tight, and was fussing with him.

"Clever, clever, clever, clever… Though it's good luck you didn't try and pull that one against my family," she said, smiling as she booped his nose.

He blinked a few times, giving an exaggeratedly mirthful gaze back in response. "Oh, and why is that, Skye?"

"Well," she said, "my Dad and sister both served in the army," she continued, booping his nose. "And while our springbok was ignorant, us Autumn foxes know that machine." She booped him again. "And would ask you about the big door they have on the back, and why you didn't use that." A third boop rounded it off, the Swift Fox vixen smiling.

Jack blinked a few times, before smiling back in faux-outrage. "Ahem, Skye, you wouldn't accuse a priest of lying, would you?"

He waved his paw back at himself and shrugged as the two fennecs burst into laughter. "Damn you secret agent bun!" Finnick cheered. "I know why they call you Savage!"

"Well, my choice of career pseudonym has more than a little basis in reality," he said smugly.

Finnick nodded along. "Neat! Heck the damn whole thing was."

Fenneko agreed. "Even after a quick think through, I couldn't say it better myself."

"Don't you know it," he said, glancing up at her and winking as she returned the gesture.

"Yup," Judy said, bringing up her phone. "Technically not illegal, and given your words of support I think I'll give you a pass. But we never speak of this again."

"Oh beans and sweetgrass, yes," Jack remarked, a paw slipping behind his rear. He shivered. "Remember how Dr Silverfox said his grandmother would wash his mouth out and tan his hide? Well, if my mother heard about this, she'd rub in the face all the times I called going to church pointless when I was a kit. -She'd also throw out her furbrush and go shopping for belts."

"And Bogo will probably have our badges too if he hears that we condone this," Nick remarked. "But the critical thing is that we know the call was made against Ash, not Kris. So, maybe it was a mistake by Duke or Maisy. Maybe it was Maisy trying to sabotage whatever plans her parents had. The ZPD will know and be looking into it. Our job now, though, is to try and dig further and faster and get our kit out as soon as we can.

"Damn right," Finnick saluted, as he slipped forward and fired up the van.

Together, they headed home. Nick and Judy slipped off at the Fox family household while Jack, Skye and Honey went on to the vixen's workshop to work on more things.

.

.

"So, how did the interview go?" Nick asked.

"Good," Felicity said. "Got the basics down, showed him the video. He'll be working hard on it. Foxy and I left while Will left for the embassy."

"Is he still there?" Nick asked, as he received a cup of tea from her. The red fox vixen nodded.

"Making sure that whatever is going to happen from that front is done hard and tough."

"Well, fingers crossed that Kristofferson's country is on guard for thee."

The pregnant vixen sighed, sitting down. "I thought it was," she said, a hint of venom slipping in at the end.

Nick paused, thinking it through for a second before getting it. He nodded silently. "What about Ash. How's he taking the news that it was called against him in the first place?"

"I think he's feeling a bit better, oddly enough. He said that at least now he doesn't have to worry about it."

"Yeah…" Nick agreed. "I mean he was dead certain about it before."

Felicity nodded, about to speak only to be cut off as Nick's phone cut in. His ears perking, he reached down and glanced at the caller, his head tilting slightly. Pressing to accept, he held it up to his ear. "-Hey Dr Twirly tail. Fancy you calling today?"

"Evening. Nicholas."

His ears folded down and he gulped. "Did I miss something?"

"I think that any pretense of confidentiality has already been broken at this point, so I'll just go ahead," she remarked. "It's come to my attention that you've been in contact with a certain patient of mine, one who you may have previously come into contact with after she escaped the mental hospital."

"Oh, Honey! Yeah, a friend knew someone with skills we needed and we didn't realise that it was her until we knocked on the door. I didn't realise that she was out."

"You didn't as she didn't make any requests to talk to you," she explained. "At least it seems that this was initially just an innocent mistake. However I'm now hearing that you're dragging her onto all sorts of crazy stuff!"

"She's just helping out," he defended.

"She's just got out, calmed down and trying to get a grip on normal life," the binturong therapist on the other side exasperated. "Nick, she suffered badly through her treatment, it was long and hard and I was hoping for her to get out and begin to settle down into a normal life. She was ready. Wobbly on her legs, but ready! The last thing I want for her to do is latch on to a new cause, a new crusade which she'll fall entirely behind at the expense of literally everything else!"

Nick's eyes were wide as he stood up, beginning to place around. "When we got there, she was terrified we'd be throwing her back in the asylum. We calmed her down, mended the bridges, and she was honest about how she feels about sheep. Heck, she was honest about herself, talking about how down the rabbit hole she was before. I don't think she's going back to her crazy sheep hating."

"That's not the point, Nick," she said. "Just having one rabbit hole changed for a different one changes nothing! I don't usually get this worried or angry, but you need to back off of her and put her down safely, for her own good. I mean, what are you planning to achieve by dragging her on to whatever mission you're dragging her on to?"

Nick paused. "Are you aware of the mission we're on? And who it also…"

"-I have a well founded suspicion," she interrupted. "And yes, it's horrible, truly. But the point still stands. If a patient is addicted to eating a hundred tubs of vanilla ice cream every day, the solution isn't to get them hooked on eating a hundred apples."

Nick paused, tapping his feet for a second or two before speaking back. "Ash talked to you about his survivor's guilt, didn't he? I've been with him most of this day and I saw him walk off to do it and then come back. You gave him an exercise, listing out all the reasons he might misinterpret it that way."

"You may have a well founded suspicion," she spoke back, and Nick couldn't help but imagine a weary smile on her muzzle.

"Well, your diagnosis was sensible and logical, but also wrong."

"Huh?"

"Doing the exercise he realised there were some things that didn't fit in with survivors guilt. We believed, and just now _confirmed,_ that an anonymous tip was originally leveled against Ash, not Kris."

"Oh heavens."

"We were thinking that one suspect might have done it. However, Honey, all while trashing all of her previous research as garbage, happened to realise that there was a second, potential, suspect. One we'd have never thought of were it not for her."

"I…" she began, before grumbling. "You see now I'm in a sticky situation. I believe in letting mammals get into a sticky situation, making mistakes and all that, if it's all in the aid of a strong end purpose."

"Ditto that hustle with Jack Savage and the acting."

"Exactly."

"-Well, seems like the karma train came-a-callin'."

"Annoyingly so."

"Oh, by the way, I happened to introduce Jack to a vixen, not a friend at the time but is one now, and they're now a very cute couple."

"Oh, nice to hear, I guess. Never met them of course."

"Good point," Nick remarked.

"Yes, but anyway, I'm an end justifies the means mammal. And now I find out that you, in doing something that's ringing alarm bell after alarm bell to one of my patients, have potentially done a great good for a seemingly innocent mammal in a horrible situation. So, what now?"

"Well," Nick began. "We didn't ask her to do research or anything. We wanted her to get on the team because Skye, Jack's vixen, worked with her in the past. She's a mechanic, Honey is good at electronics, and had a bunch of odd spy stuff left over. Her old research, which she's largely disowned, just happened to have a useful lead. Heck, she didn't even want to tell us at first."

"Was that disgust at it, or a fear you'd take it the wrong way?" Amy pressed. Nick could hear her raised eyebrow over the phone.

"Good point doc, though I'd say there's bits of both in there. She genuinely seems to think that her past stuff is nonsense… There was a definite hint of melancholy."

"And if this thing turns out to be right, will that change it?"

"Ehhhh, million buck question, but I'd wager on no. Hopefully."

She grumbled. "I suppose that there's nothing we could do if it was a bad sheep behind this other than live with it. Now, going forward, you've let the genie out of the bottle Nick. I can do damage control, but I need you to too."

The fox nodded. "Seems fair."

"Right. Easiest solution is just to say that she's off the little investigation you're doing, period. But… But… There is another option. We use this as a learning experience for her. Sometimes you can't repress certain behavioral habits, and our mammal of interest is highly compulsive, inquisitive and obsessive. Black powder for a conspiracy theorist. Now, I had no way of tempering that so it was avoidance I chose. However, if you can show her the 'right way' to do these things, absolutely policing her and instructing her on the red lines and such, it might prove beneficial. But I'm trusting you Nick, I'm trusting you absolutely on this. Can you do that for me? For her?"

Nick closed his eyes, breathed in and out, and nodded. "I will. I'll look after her. I'll make sure that she knows that we're working as a group, and we're doing what the group decides, and we're doing this to help a mammal in need."

"I… Okay, I trust you Nick. Look after her."

He nodded. "I will."

"Thanks. And how are you doing?"

"This has been scary, but I'm holding up. I'm good, thanks. Ash seems to be too."

"Well, if you look after her as you look after him, I don't think I've got anything to worry about."

Nick smiled. "Thanks. And you'll be there to look after Kris too, when you can, I presume?"

"Yes." She said. "Poor kit. When you get him out, I'll be there if he needs me. Good luck."

"Thanks," he said, hanging up. He looked over to Felicity. "Tell Judy that I just need to talk with Honey in person. I'll be back when I can be."

"Will do," she said, as he walked off. Calling a Zuber and exiting the house, he sighed. The sky was turning dark, the sun that had risen with six mammals nursing hangovers and amnesia slowly setting, all while a dear friend was about to spend his first night in prison. He shivered, hoping he was holding up.

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.

Kris held his paws in front of him as they were cuffed up, the fox being led off by Officer Sarrahson from the therapy office. It had been a nice talk in there, Terrance Riotra being warm and acting like a friend, all while trying to put down any lingering fears he had. He said that he trusted him, that he seemed like a very mature and clever kit, that he was level headed and would get through this.

It felt good to have at least one friend here.

The serval marching him on was hard and silent, giving orders to stop, go and wait. It wasn't harsh per say, though he had no doubt that the serval didn't like him. He wondered if he could have worded his name correction better, though he had the sinking feeling from her overall actions that it was intentionally harsh. She seemed like a bully.

And on top of that all, there was one thing that he noticed about her in particular that gave him strongly mixed feelings. Her ears were splayed down, her fur raised a little, her claws peeking out from their sheaths slightly and her tail was forcing itself down near the floor, its tip flicking about in annoyance. While much more used to being around canids than felids, he'd shared a class with a bobcat for most of his youth. She was stroppy and rambunctious, and had often been given a telling off or sent to the office. And on coming back, bubbling from a perceived unfair and humiliating scolding, she'd been slouched down with folded ears, claws peeking out and fur slightly raised, while her low hung tail had given flicks of irritation.

He didn't know what had happened with her and anyone else after he'd left that office, but he felt confident in making a guess, one who's answer could mean many things.

Still, her actions now were more institutional than anything. But everything here was. The whitewashed brick walls, the various locks on the doors and cameras fitted to the ceiling, the fact that most of the sparse furniture in the corridor was shining stainless steel bolted firmly down. Then there were the cuffs, the low hanging underwear which he wanted to pull up, the baggy black and white striped uniform that felt thick but drafty as well. He wasn't sure if the itch he was feeling on his skin was from the clothes or the potent anti-flea spray that still clouded his sense of smell.

He was ordered to a halt in front of an imposing door, his reflection briefly showing. He looked like the little mug-shot picture on his ID tag, he looked like a prisoner. And now he was going through an airlock like corridor, a door shutting behind him before the one in front could open. He could hear noise up ahead, and smell the smell of hot and unwashed mammals. He closed his eyes and breathed out to stay his fears as the door was opened, walking out before his escorting guard could shove him.

Up ahead was the cell block, branching out in two wings to the left and the right in a sort of boomerang shape. In each wing there was an access terrace on either wall, made out of bold green metal tubing and metal sheets with regular round holes stamped into them. It almost felt like something you'd see in a school built around the turn of the millenium. As they went further away, they rose, the cells beneath getting larger and those above smaller. However, even the smallest of the upper level cells were bigger than the largest of the lower level ones, the smaller mammals staying on the ground floor.

The area dead ahead of him though, where the wings met, didn't have any cells branching off of them, the terraces ending a distance away as the two far walls on either side bent in to meet each other. Instead, the enlarged area included parted off sections containing library books, vending machines, well guarded and controlled computers and even a bank of phones. He then realised that the ceiling directly above him was notably low and, looking up, he realised that it was the guards observation area, overlooking everything. Two steep stairs came down from it either side of him, while the far side wall was entirely armoured glass, several doors allowing prisoners free access into the fenced off (and well observed) yard area.

Some were out there, some were walking past him or using the nearby facilities, a whole mix of white and grey clad mammals giving him a bare glance at most. There didn't seem to be any type or species over represented in the whole of the crowd. Most mammals though were at the far ends of the two wings. On the blank walls, a television was fitted, large crowds sitting beneath and paying them idle attention while talking to themselves.

It was cleaner than he'd imagined.

It really did remind him more of a school than a prison. White walls with flashes of coloured metal and the occasional dark blue noticeboard as opposed to oppressive grey with cold metal bars. It was lit well from the big yard window and the roof lights up above, with large bright strip lights taking over now that the sun was setting outside. There was still noise, a lot of noise, and the smell of all these mammals too, but it was better than he'd imagined.

He felt himself relax, doing more so as he was uncuffed, led towards an open cell and put in. He'd be spending his night here, 'settling down' as they put it. Were it not for the metal toilet/sink unit to his right, the place could have been a low budget hotel, youth hostel or dorm room. He had a wooden bed unit (solid and likely fixed in place), with three tall plywood upstands, the tail end one hiding the toilet from view. The other end, by the window, had a small desk and chair attached, the latter free to move but the kind of metal and plastic type that reminded him once again of his early school days. There was nothing much after that. Some basic shelves on the other wall, mostly empty but with some basic reading material, advice guides and plugs and wiring for a small television to be fitted (if he earned the privilege). At the far end was a narrow and tall window, which he peered out of, getting the grand view of a different cell block's wall no more than a few feet away.

The sound of a door unlocking pricked his ears and, looking back, he saw the door to his cell (not bars or plexiglass, but one more like a school fire escape, even having two tall and narrow windows) open. A guard placed down a tray of food and left silently, locking him back in. It was pizza slice, some basic vegetables, a chocolate flavoured (but zero-theobromine) predator-health protein shake, and a small pot of grape flavoured (canine safe) jello.

Nothing really tasted delicious, though the two sachets of ketchup helped with the pizza. Overall it was… okay. He sat down on his bed. The bare plastic mattress was a bit hard and the sheet and pillow felt a bit threadbare, but it was okay. He looked up and breathed in and out. It was okay, he told himself. It was okay. It was okay…

He could get through this.

He moved into a position to meditate, to help pass the time, only to pause as he thought he heard something. Moving his ear up to the wall, he could hear balling and crying coming from the cell next door. It was that pup, racking out sobs and crying for his mommy, over and over again.

Kris backed away and sighed. Maybe he'd be okay… That pup wouldn't be. He was going to have to occupy himself here, maybe for a long, long time. He was strong, he could survive, but that pup wouldn't, couldn't.

He settled back down to meditate. Tomorrow would be a new day. He was going to be okay. He was going to help that pup be okay too.


	59. An Anonymous Vulpine 15 (Day 2)

**Chapter 15**

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**Day 2**

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Tuesday morning, and across Zootopia mammals were waking up. For most, it would be an ordinary day.

For some, though, everything had changed.

Dr William Silverfox sat down at his empty breakfast table, holding a piece of toast in his paws but having little to no will to finish it. He sighed, putting it down before taking a wander. He rarely went into his son's room, but he felt drawn by it today. A gentle knock on the door, to let him know that he was coming in, before he went in anyway.

No…

He wasn't there after all. He'd been hoping that…

He sighed, sitting down on his bed and looking around. It was neat and it was tidy, and it felt dead. His son was meant to be here, the mammal he loved and cared for, the closest family he had left.

His gaze flicked around, before landing on a little picture frame resting on the bedside cabinet. Holding it up, looking at the tiny kit smiling joyfully in it, not knowing where he was or what would happen today. He closed his eyes tight, opening them as he looked over to his wife. "Roz…?"

She remained silent, just looking out joyously like her son, the pair blissfully ignorant to their fates. "I'm sorry," he choked, a finger wiping at the corners of his eyes. It wasn't fair, it wasn't! Why her? Why not him?! Where had he gone wrong?!

Why couldn't they all be together again, back at home, with another son or daughter or maybe both in the family. He shivered. He didn't like being alone, and if Kris was anything like him…

This wasn't like before, when he had his aunt and uncle. He was alone right now, and could be alone and scared for years. He felt his heart ache. "Kris," he whispered. "Stay strong, please stay strong. We're going to get you out of there."

He took a breath in to steady himself before standing up. Placing the picture down and wiping the front he stepped out of the room and past the food on the kitchen table. Normally it would all be tidied away as a point of principle. Today he couldn't draw on a single ounce of energy to do so. He was going to wander over to Felicity's place, to see what was going on, only to be cut off as he received a text. He froze, looking at it, bracing himself as he turned on the television and sat himself down.

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* * *

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"Yes Buchō, understood."

Ookami slipped his phone down before taking the last sip of his coffee. A few bites to finish off the last chunks of wolf-apple in his morning salad and he placed his dishes in the machine, making his way over to the bathroom. His television was playing, and he idly listened to the news report as he added a bit of toothpaste onto his brush and turned it on, slipping it into his mouth and slowly working on his fangs.

"-And in other news, the District Attorney Kurt Wassermaim has come under fire from Chief Bogo of the ZPD after overruling their judgement on a case involving a youth suspect and refined nighthowlers."

The maned wolf's ears perked up and he walked over to get a better look. He'd heard that correct, right? They'd found a lead in this whole nighthowler situation? He wondered if Nick had anything to do with it.

"-Early yesterday, a small sample of refined nighthowler pellets, similar to those used during the nighthowler plot, were discovered in the locker of an anonymous vulpine in one of the city's major schools. After being arrested and interviewed, the ZPD initially planned to release him with a tracker on his ankle, monitoring him while investigating further. Instead, the District Attorney invoked the Nighthowler Act, requiring the youth to be held at Zootopia Youth Penitentiary until the date of his trial."

Ookami mused on it a bit. That seemed fair, he guessed. After all, that kit or whoever was found with the things in his locker. It seemed fair to put him in custody until he was tried. Dumb fox had probably screwed up his life, but given what he'd been messing with, he didn't feel any sympathy.

"This was directly against the wishes of ZPD Chief Bogo, who argued that the chemicals could have easily been planted there, and that there was little additional evidence. A video was captured of the exchange, as shown by field reporter Steven Stinkman."

Ookami looked on curiously as a shaky camera phone showed the hippo facing off against the cape buffalo, one arguing against the other. The narrator described the confrontation as taking place after the planned release of the anonymous vulpine (his grey figure pixelated out), fitted with a tracker for monitoring. Through the thrumming of the toothbrush in his mouth, the large canid felt his thoughts shift a bit. As the narrator described how easily such a plant could take place, and how it could fall in line with actions such as swatting and false sexual assault claims, Ookami felt himself feel a bit of sympathy with the fox in question, especially as a blurred figure (likely the father) begged to know what the Nighthowler Act meant. Then again, the hippo did have a kind of point…

Walking over to spit out the suds, the maned wolf thought it through. Sure, someone could have put those howlers in his locker, but surely the more reasonable explanation was that they were his. In which case he agreed that sending him behind bars was probably the safest option, and the fairest. You shouldn't mess with that stuff, period! Especially if you were a predator and knew first paw how much pain it had caused. But then again, hearing that he could be away for up to seven months… If there was a chance he was innocent, get him to a speedy trial. Three or so months sounded fairer.

At the same time, it wasn't the fox making the opposing arguments. It was the Chief of Police, who likely knew more about this than anyone. He thought it was fair and safe to let the kit out, being monitored, so maybe he believed he was innocent. Ookami wasn't really sure what to make of it. But then he saw Nick Wilde himself there, arguing for the kit, saying that the youth justice laws overruled the other ones. In that case then, Ookami's mind was set. He trusted Nick, so he knew which side he was on.

The news feed cut to a skunk reporter, standing outside of the ZPD building. "After the disagreement, the case was referred to the Chief Justice to figure out whether the Youth Justice Act or Nighthowler Act took precedence, the latter eventually being chosen. The anonymous vulpine, who started school yesterday thinking it was an ordinary day, was then sent to Zootopia's hardest juvenile prison, alongside convicted murderers and sex offenders. As of today, and potentially for the next four weeks, he hasn't so much as been charged with a crime."

Ookami frowned. Okay, at this point the District Attorney was taking things too far. Couldn't house arrest or something have done the job?

"If this smells funny to you…"

-Cuss yeah it did.

"Then you're not alone. No one at the ZPD has elected to comment, with all officers and Chief Bogo himself stating that they couldn't comment on a case in progress. Two witnesses though, who saw the incident go down and recorded it, were available to speak."

Ookami almost collapsed coughing as Haida and Retsuko appeared on the screen, sitting down in an interview room. "So?" the reporter asked. "Do you think that the District Attorney sprayed too far?"

"Well yeah," Haida spoke. "I mean, I was there with various family members, friends and cops, and they all thought this was a mistake. We're talking about a perfect student here, and nobody could work out how he'd got them."

"All they knew was that those things had ended up in his locker," Retsuko spoke. "But anyone could slip them in there. The police were saying that they'd need more evidence, and the real culprit was likely still out there. The kit was going to be let go, he had an ankle tracker which the Chief of Police felt was perfectly adequate to keep an eye on him. Nobody seemed angry that he was walking out like that."

"Except the DA," the skunk reporter said.

"Yeah," Haida spoke, his eyes narrowing. "He barged in, calling the kit a terrorist and a menace, which he wasn't! He talks the talk about trying to protect preds like us, but do you know what I think? I think he was having fun sending the kit away because he was one."

"All he could do to argue back after we said he was going too far was saying that we hate sheep."

"As we saw," Stinkman agreed. "Given your opinions, what do you say to those who stink that he's getting just desserts for messing with Nighthowlers?"

"Well, you'd better hope that whoever placed the things in his locker doesn't find you next."

The skunk reporter nodded. "Who do you think had the interests of the city and its residents at the front of their minds that day? The Chief of Police or the DA?"

"The Chief," they both said in unison.

The camera cut back to the front of the ZPD. "On reaching out to Wassermaim last night, we only received this short reply: 'I simply applied the law as it's meant to be applied. Nothing more, nothing less.' No further comment was made. On speaking to Councillor Aurelina Canidae, original author and co-sponsor of the Nighthowler Act, on whether it was meant to be used to send suspected kits to a high security youth prison for months before trial, she had this to say."

The video changed to that of a morbidly obese black wolf with a mane of (presumedly dyed) pink hair, coming down in long locks or tied up in buns with knitting needles threaded through for decoration. Ookami couldn't help but wince at the style disaster that was her pink fleece jacket, over a dusty pink and black dress. The purple-ish dab of lipstick at the end of her muzzle was the gaudy cherry on top. She stood there blinking a few times, before responding. "Uh… No...?"

The image cut back to the skunk. "Stark words. As of today, the anonymous vulpine is waking up to a new life, away from his friends and family and surrounded by hardened criminals. Even if he did nothing wrong and the charges collapse at his trial, it could be his future until the start of next year. This is Steven Stinkman, live from outside the ZPD. Back to the studio."

It switched back, the picture changing to the familiar news readers, shuffling their papers. Fabienne Growley started to speak again, her voice clipped off as the outside feed took a second or two to switch off (her 'in other news' muddle up with Stinkman's 'holy crap I finally got to spray that.')

Ookami looked on and thought, before jolting out of his revery as he saw the time. Leaning in to pick out a new shirt, still smelling fresh from the launderers, he buttonned it up before getting ready. He was now on the side of this fox kit, whoever he was, and he'd likely be that way even if his friends weren't. Quickly slipping on his bluetooth speaker and shades, he locked up and entered the lift, slipping down to the basement. Starting up his car on roaring out, he flicked through the contacts before pressing the one marked '_Daz-Senpai_'. He was curious to know what he thought. Heck, he wondered how much of a fuss this would all pick up.

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* * *

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While he was leaving for work, others were arriving.

Officer Kii Catano was looking through her emails as she waited inside the ZPD central precinct. Her mouth twitched from side to side, before her ears rose as the door to the room opened. Oates and Bogo walked in, both looking tired despite the night of rest they'd had before. Oates, at least, managed something vaguely in the same family as a laugh when he saw her. "No surprises seeing you here."

She shrugged back, before looking back at the horse. "I'm pretty sure Bogo will have told you about the kit."

"Yes, he sure has," he grunted, swivelling out his chair and collapsing down on it. "Snivelling water cow…"

Bogo glanced at him. "Just remember that Higgins is part of this precinct too, Oates."

"Well he's not a craven scumbag, so I think he'll know about the difference," he remarked back, giving a loud nostril flaring snort.

"We need to keep this professional," Bogo spoke, "things have been quiet so far, but they might flare up. There was a journalist outside pressing for my take on this…"

"A skunk?" Catano asked, the cape buffalo nodding.

"You saw him too?"

"He asked me about it," Oates said. "And I didn't answer, saying that it was all part of an ongoing police investigation. But he was also asking me to collaborate what had happened, so I'm guessing he had other witnesses."

"Of course he had," Bogo remarked. "The kit's family, another fox and bunny pair, a red panda and a hyena in need of the mother of all dental braces. If I were in their situation, I'd go to the media. Nothing came on last night, but keep your eyes out for the news this morning. I, meanwhile, have had a call from the mayor's office. It seems that our District Attorney has just caused a diplomatic incident."

Oates groaned. "Don't tell me, the kit's father's gone and run to the embassy."

"Yes, and they are not happy," Bogo muttered. "The thing is though, this stuff usually relies on us actually listening to outside pressure. I do not think that our District Attorney will do that."

"What about when he learns that the call was originally taken out against the cousin?" Catano queried.

Bogo snorted. "Oh he knows, he just doesn't care… -Don't tell Wilde that! I'll probably get asked about how it feels... But Wassermaim knows it so well that he's holding us firm to rights on the youth protection laws, stopping us from bringing it up. It'll only come up at the trial, at which point six months will have gone by."

"But still, there's not enough evidence to convict," Oates added. "At least, with a halfway decent lawyer, which this kit will certainly get."

"You're right," Bogo agreed. "Not enough evidence yet in either direction. Which brings me to the topic of the day. How are you two doing?"

"Well, despite missing our two best detectives, we made a start yesterday," she explained, opening up a folder. Bogo looked in, finding a rough map of the school, the locker room, classroom they were in and main entrances lined up. "We don't know how long those things were in there. The lab report stated that it's been about two months since the pellets were manufactured, presuming they were done to the same composition and formula as Doug Ramses' product. However, if the kit didn't do it, then logically they were most likely to have been planted early in the morning or late on friday night. Sadly though, the school only has very sparse camera coverage period, yet alone in the area in question. A mammal could have slipped in and out undetected. Lab reports also show no trace of any mammal on them, whoever did this wore gloves and took great care."

"Which I'd say would be a stroke against our kit being the perp," Oates remarked. "As, on top of everything else, if he was so careful there why would he be so obnoxious to put them all up on top of his books like that?"

"It isn't much, but that does seem to suggest that someone else wanted them to be found," Catano mumbled. "That cousin could have slipped them into there easy as pie."

"And then called out an anonymous tip on himself," Oates rebuked, only to pause. "Well, if it was the case, it would certainly work to confuse us. It's confusing us now."

Catano nodded. "Reverse psychology from a fox living up to every nasty stereotype they're labelled with." She looked away distastefully while Oates snorted.

"Crazy like a fox, huh? Or maybe our anon vulpine stored his things like that just to confuse us if we did find out?"

"But why," Catano rebuked. "The cousin at least has a semi-plausible motive to throw the family's golden child under the bus. Not like he hasn't done crazy stuff due to it before. Even if it's weak, it's the best the two of us have come up with."

Bogo looked on and nodded. "Still, these are just conjectures and baseless arguments. Meanwhile I'm beginning to face some blowback. Both ADA Deaux and Chief Ramic have contacted me, stating their deep reservations about these goings on and assurances that they're willing to stand and resign with me if I try and take a stand. I stated firmly that us dropping out would be a victory for him, but if this gets piped up in the news it won't be long before a lot of people who don't know what's going on will start coming after us. It'll get easier when the detectives Dawson get back, I'm regretting getting my own back on them already, but until then we need to do the best we can."

Catano nodded. "Fortunately, we do have other leads."

Bogo paused. "You said that that was all that you and Oates had found."

"Yes. Oates and I."

Bogo blinked a few times, before a little smile grew across his muzzle. "What have Wilde and Hopps stumbled across then?"

Catano waved the two other mammals over to her laptop and showed them the email that she'd received. "They believe that a mammal with a vendetta against them tried to frame one of the kits for this, getting their own back."

"Bit full of themselves," Oates remarked. "And 'one of the kits'?"

Bogo crossed his arms. "They may have guessed the whole anonymous tip thing." He shrugged, unable to stop a sliver of a smile grow across his face. "After all, it kind of makes sense."

"It does," Catano remarked, "especially given the comments regarding the two leads."

"Two?" Oates remarked. "Dagnammit, those two will have me outta a job before I know it."

"Yes," she said. "First one, known to all of us, is Duke Weaselton."

Bogo groaned. "Our first ever nighthowler arrest. Didn't he cooperate with us last time he was busted?"

"They suspect he was giving false information, in which case he'll get the book thrown at him when we get him."

Oates nodded in agreement. "It'll be good to finally give him just a one way ticket to the pen."

"Anyhow, he was arrested back then on suspicion of supplying alcohol to minors, taking a plea deal to get out of it. Moreover, and this is where more things make sense if they suspect the issue with the tip off, the cousin, Ash, was there to witness it and 'helped' bring him in. Helped in terms of just being there and pointing out what they already knew. Apparently some insults and dismissals were given and then, on Sunday, they bumped into him on his final day of community service, accidentally causing a mess from him. They tried to apologise, he just got angrier, swearing he'd get his own back."

"So he then sneaks into the school at night," Oates filled in, "tracked down the red kit's locker and put in the howlers, only he messed up and got the wrong one. He then dropped the tip, sat back, and watched his revenge play out."

"Unfortunately no," Catano said. "They say he seems to have gone AWOL."

Now it was Bogo's turn to groan. "In which case, we can send out a call to bring him in for questioning and check out his home, but that's about it. If he's left the country, we'd need more to get a warrant."

"I could scan the school cameras," Catano replied. "Catch him coming in at night, if he does come in at all."

"Hold up," Oates cut in. "Now, I know that this mammal has spent time in the past for burglary and such, and schools were never that well protected anyway, so he could easily sneak in and out. But how would he know which locker to open up?"

Catano shrugged. "He could have bribed or asked a naive student to tell him, or gone into the main office first and found the records for who had what locker. Either way, when getting to them he could have easily made the mix-up mistake."

"Right, I'm still a little less convinced about that one. What's this other lead then?"

"This," Catano began, "is the interesting one. Apparently, they found out that Bellwether's niece goes to the same class as the boys."

Oates coughed a few times, while Bogo rushed up to the screen. "Wouldn't we have known it before?"

"They changed their names and moved careers and schools," Catano said. "On the same day they met that weasel for the second time, the boys tried to introduce her to Nick and Judy. She panicked and ran off."

Oates huffed. "Seems the apple doesn't drop far from the tree then."

"I wouldn't say so," Catano said. "They suspect that she doesn't want to do it and tried to get away so her parents wouldn't know. Only, out of worry, they sent a text outlining the situation to her, which her parents may have seen. At which point…"

"At which point," Bogo carried on. "She was ordered to do the deed."

"Obviously too scared to rat her parents out," Catano spoke, pausing to think. "You know, I just made it sound easy there, but thinking it through…" She shook her head and sighed. "Urghh… I'm being silly. She was probably scared and confused, and they think she did try to do something to limit the damage."

"Go on," Oates said.

"Maybe the whole tip-suspect mismatch wasn't a mistake."

Oates smiled a bit. "Well, clever girl if that's the case. Just a shame we had a nasty DA who wasn't interested in playing fair. Throw the weasel idea out, I think this is our big lead."

"I respectfully disagree," Catano spoke.

"How come?"

"You know, I think this calls for a practical demonstration. Let me show you," she said, standing up and walking out. The others followed, curious to see what she had to show them.

.

* * *

.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Mrs Fox asked, looking down. A bunch of other faces: familial, friendly or just recently familiar joined hers.

Ash nodded. "Kris would do it for me," he said, as he slipped his bag onto his back. It felt scary, going back to school so soon. But he needed to be there for his cousin, he needed to be there to fight for him. He could play a part. He could find out what Agnes had texted, before looking into Maisy herself. He was going to do what had to be done.

"I've told the principal that you're still a bit worried, she says that you can still take any day of this week off… Stay safe, please."

He looked up and nodded. "I will."

"I know you will," his father said, walking up and hugging him. Nick was there, behind him as well.

"Investigate your heart out, Mr…" he began, before making a spitting noise. Ash stood up tall, nodded and walked out to the salute and applause of foxes, fennecs, bunnies and even a ratel and opossum alike. With that, he was out of the door and on his bike, racing down to fight for his cousin. It wasn't that he had a favour to repay, it wasn't due to some sense of adventure, it was because he had to fight for him, period.

The mood he'd left in the Fox family house went quiet, everyone seeming to be holding back, waiting for someone else to make the second move. The fennecs had returned to busily tapping away on their computers, Fenneko directing her mate on what to do and him nodding along, interjecting here and there with a new point. There was a comment about the ZNN report, which they'd all taken a break to watch, another about the Pounceheart video that had just gone up. Mr Fox was busy working with Skye and Honey on devices for discrete drinks disposal, while Jack, groaning as he did so, was doing some push ups, helped by Nick. Haida and Retsuko were back at work, but busy finding a large mammal to help with the mission, while Mrs Fox was sitting by her brother in law, currently working away on some important emails.

Jack groaned as he completed the last of his exercises, slumping hard onto the floor.

"Yeah, that's natural for a beginner," Nick commented, sitting down next to him. He paused for a second or two, before looking down at the tired bunny. "Say, what's happening with your play, now that you're busy with us?"

The bunny blinked a few times, his eyes widening. "Oh… ehhh…"

"Jack!" Nick said, standing up and glancing around. It was broken off though from some laughing from below.

"Payback…" the striped buck panted. "For bunneh torture."

Nick frowned. "Seriously though…"

Picking himself off the floor, Jack shrugged. "Oh, with Buster Moon organising all of these, all I had to do was mention the slight potential usefulness of a delay, and he's pulled back the release date by a few weeks. We'll be starting after the half term holidays, which works for him as he gets to employ all the other actors in one of his child friendly matinees through the week."

"Which makes pretty good business sense if you think about it."

"Yeah… But for the love of god don't tell him. Don't want to give him any more ideas."

"Will do," Nick agreed. There was a pause as he looked around, spotting everyone at work, before looking back. "I could also give you some basic self defense lessons too," he said.

"Okay then. Yeah!"

"Right, first off," Nick spoke, grabbing a cushion with his paw, "let's see this lapin boxing in all its glory."

Jack narrowed his eyes, before letting out a flurry of paw beats, the pillow rumbling and pulsing as the hare's paws drummed on it. There was a sudden rip, a tear, and the whole thing was disemboweled, chunks of feather stuffing tossed onto the floor.

"You two are cleaning that up," Mrs Fox said, the pair nodding. Nick looked back to Jack. "Interesting, Carrots doesn't do anything like that," he said.

"It's because it isn't effective at knocking out larger enemies," Judy said. She'd been busy on her own computer, but slumped away from it, ears drooping, as she walked over to have a look. "I had to relearn how I fought to pass the academy, getting used to landing hard fast strikes at pressure points at exactly the right time, so that larger mammals had their weight and momentum turned against them. Lapin style boxing doesn't give any forward momentum." She began moving her arms in a slow motion version of Jack's boxing technique: her shoulders acted as the pivots, her elbows swayed back and forth and her wrists moved up and down, straight in line with her lower arm. The result was large bats down with her fingers.

Nick nodded. "Good point. Also good point, Jack isn't going to be taking down giant mammals. Many might be his size, and with the larger ones he just needs to run. So maybe his style boxing can help?"

Judy paused, nodding slightly. "Okay then, we could do some practice," she said, breaking off to yawn. "Sorry, spent last night checking the cams."

"Found anything?"

"Duke seemed to go home, then definitely left, taking an old bike out on the main route out of the city and country. He was also wandering around in between, but I couldn't track where he went, the cover isn't universal. However, had he called a zuber or something in a blind spot, he could have easily got to the school, spent a few hours there, then come back, all in the right time frame."

Nick frowned. "And no coverage of the school?"

"Only one side has a public camera covering any part of it," she groaned, "and even that has blindspots. All we know is that he had the potential. I'll just keep looking, seeing if I can identify a car or anything." She nodded, then turned and slipped off.

Jack glanced at her, then at Nick. "Wasn't she going to give me some practice?"

"Yes, I thought that too," he replied, turning to face him. "Okay, here's an idea for fending off an attacker a bit larger than you. Box, kick, run."

"Go on, go on."

Nick nodded, taking the time to slip over to Skye and Honey and borrow some safety goggles, pulling them over his eyes. "A short, sharp, spell of boxing over the eyes, making him shy away. Then you jump and twist, giving a kangaroo style kick in the groin to shock them." He stuffed the remains of the pillow down the front of his pants as he said it. "Finally, you use that speed to scarper away. When against larger mammals, you can turn and run faster and jump longer. Reach a crowded or tight place, you win."

"Okay," Jack said, "I mean, I'm not really sure abo... " In a flash he leapt, his paws drumming out. Nick's goggles were almost torn from his face, only kept on by the presence of his muzzle and even then nearly exposing his eyes. He instinctively closed them, shying away from the pain of claws scratching down and thundering down on his brow before leaping forward, paws out, to catch the hare. He winced back as the kick to the groin came, thankfully dulled, before carrying on, eyes finally able to open again. His left paw grabbed Jack's trailing left leg and drew him back in. His momentum torn away, he fell hard to the floor, panicking for a second before flipping himself over, drumming his free foot onto Nick's paw. The fox hissed, diving in with his other paw to restrain his leg, only for Jack to curl up. A flurry of lapin boxing stayed his paw for a second or two, while surprising him enough to let a hard kick loosen the other one's grip. Another kick, along with a pull, and Jack was free, scrabbling along the floor. Nick pounced forward, landing hard on top of the hare and rolling to his side, taking him with it. Pinned to his chest, the fox's legs wrapping around the hare's, Nick panted for a second or two before smiling. "You're dead, Stripes."

He let go, letting Jack slip off, the hare panting and shaking as he got to his feet. Their eyes met and, through a pant out, the striped bunny flashed a smile.

"Fun?" Nick asked.

"Crazy…"

"Like a fox and mad as a march hare," Nick replied. "Seriously though, if I didn't have combat training you'd have gotten away from that, even with the padding and goggles. Nice work not giving up and fighting off my first capture too. Not bad for a first timer."

Jack stood up, an infectious grin on his face. "I wanna know kung fu."

"Don't know it, but I'll keep training you," Nick said, pausing to look at Judy. The bunny blinked, slapping her face.

"Cheese and crackers, sorry… Just, been busy, not enough sleep."

"There's not enough hours in the day, period," Skye added, nodding.

Nick did too, only for his ears to go down. "Except if you're our anonymous vulpine," he grunted. "Right, how are we on the plan to check out Weaselton's place?"

Finnick looked over. "Might be about time to get going. Stripes, Slick, cool fox, get in the van with the two mechanics. You coming too, bunny cop?"

Judy looked up and nodded. "Might be worth it in case something goes wrong."

"Yeah," the fennec nodded. "You can bunk in the back too, get a power nap while we're on the way."

The bunny smiled. "Thanks. I need one."

"Right," he announced. "Come on gang, time to go investigating!"

They nodded and packed up their things, slipping away. "Good luck," Fenneko saluted, before looking back at her screen. "Good luck to the other teams too."

.

* * *

.

**AN: A new dawn, a new day. Being an addicted pre-writer, I originally wrote out all the events occurring on this day in large blocks. So there'd be a giant chapter or two dealing with Kris. One or two for the 'Suko crew. Three or so for the ZPD… After finishing them though, I realised that they were bulky, and decided to have a go at a little bit of editing. So, instead, each chapter will generally cover small parts of two or three different teams' work, moving through them all at roughly the same pace as they come out and the day goes on. For example, this chapter covered the main crew, Dr Silverfox, the ZPD and had a side feature, showing the news report. The next will cover Kris and the 'Suko crew. I feel this was a good move, and fingers crossed you enjoy it too.**


	60. An Anonymous Vulpine 16 (Day 2)

**Chapter 16**

.

.

It took Kris a few seconds to realise that something was wrong.

This didn't feel like his bed.

He'd fallen asleep in one bed only to wake up in another a few times in the past, often due to his father picking him up late at night from whoever had been childminding him while he was off on a visit to one of the mainland cities. Returning home at the airport (or across the bridge, had he simply been attending a seminar in Halifox or Frebearicton), his father would drive home, pick him up while he was still asleep and then tuck him in.

The next morning, he'd wake up, confused for a second or two before feeling a wash of deep familiarity and comfort.

This wasn't like that. It wasn't his bed he was waking up in, it felt completely different, but there was a familiarity from the night before. It was more like his first few nights sleeping under his Aunt and Uncle's roof, or then with his father in their new place. Yes, he'd fallen asleep in this bed.

In prison.

His eyes opened and he sat up, looking around the cell. "Oh…" he sighed, as the memories came flooding back in. "That's right."

He didn't know the time or anything, though it sounded quiet outside. Inside too. He felt oddly alone, vulnerable too. That thought could be explained by his nightwear. Just a thin vest and a pair of underwear, the latter of which he instinctively tried to pull up before remembering that they operated that way. He'd taken off his striped jumpsuit the night before, folding it up and placing it on his desk, so he quickly went over to put it back on. Legs first, then the front up, arms going up the sleeves. It was then that he remembered the whole back zip thing, and the fact that he might as well go to the toilet before doing it up fully.

A bit of awkwardness sitting down on the cold seatless rim, and a while later that was out of the way. Fumbling with the back zip, he did it up, washed his paws and then made his bed. The mattress was hard and coated in plastic, which made it crinkle as his weight shifted on it and felt cold to the touch, noticeable even through the bedsheet they provided. The duvet was thin and light too, requiring a bit of wrapping it up around him to get some comfort out of it. Sure, he currently, or now that he thought about it, previously slept under a sheet, given the biome he'd moved to, but most of his life he'd been used to sleeping under thick comforting duvets, which this new one wasn't.

When sleeping under his sheet, he tended to grip a pillow while falling asleep as a substitute, something he couldn't do here as he only had one, probably too thin and un-fluffy regardless.

Still, it just about did its job in supporting his head, just as the duvet did in stopping him getting cold and the mattress did in giving him something not hard to sleep on. He hadn't had a bad night sleep, just an austere one.

Walking around, he looked out of the small window slits in his cell door, thinking he noticed a bit of movement in one or two cells across the hall. There was a pause as he noticed a few guards walking around, paying little mind to anyone looking out.

He retreated, picking up the schedule off of his shelf. The quick readthrough was broken by a shrill bell screaming out, which meant he had ten minutes until he was unlocked. He could spend that reading through the other documents, giving himself a bit of a refresher. His train of thought was broken off though by a definite shriek from the cell next door. Kris' ears went down. The pup. Probably woken up and remembered where he was, poor guy.

He read on until a second bell rang, his signal to stop what he was doing and stand by the door. Thirty seconds later, the sound of it unlocking rang out and he stepped out, paws hanging down by his side, just like all the other mammals who'd stepped out.

Ones that didn't include the pup. A guard, the serval Sarrahson, checked her clipboard, saw it and walked over, sweeping right past Kris and making him flinch back. "Come out," she ordered.

"Noooo!" Came a wail from inside.

Her ears went down. "I'm going to count to five. One. Two…"

"I can't!"

"Three… Four…"

He walked out, trembling, dragging his duvet around his waist. Kris was breathing in when something tingled inside of him, triggering a few further exploratory sniffs, a slight instinctual nervousness running through him on sensing a particularly pungent odour. In an instant, he realised exactly the pup had been so shy.

Sarrahson didn't, and had torn the duvet away before anyone could say anything. The pup tried to shield the area between his legs with his paws, but the massive wet stain on his white stripes was still clear for everyone on the other side of the block to see. They burst into laughter, pointing and giggling, all as he began bawling. Sarrahson's reaction did a flip, her ears going down as she went forward and held him. "Don't worry," she spoke, as the crowd began taunting. Some called out to ask if his mommy had forgotten to change his diapers, others just straight up calling him a baby. The serval snapped to look back. "Shut up! NOW!" They didn't, and her anger grew. "Three until you all lose everyone's free time! One… Two…" They got themselves under control, merely coughing here and there (though Kris could swear that some of them were laughs). The serval told him that it would be okay, before asking if he could put his paws out. She cuffed them, before throwing the duvet back in the cell and locking it, leading the still crying boy out. "Just going to the nurses office to get you cleaned," she said neutrally.

There was a pause, before one of the other guards spoke. "Okay, at ease. You're third for breakfast this morning, so off you go."

There was a general mumble as the crowd moved out. Kris found himself joining a naturally forming line of mammals from his half of the cell block, which merged in with a line from the other half. He found himself wondering how many there were. There were fifteen cells on each side of the ground floor, six on each side of the top, two wings which meant eighty four overall. He guessed though that one third were empty, which meant that there were fifty six mammals here. A quick count seemed to suggest that that was about right. He also counted eight or so preds, one in every seven, though that didn't include him and the pup. Preds tended to get into more aggressive trouble than most prey, operative word being most. Many of the prey here were rutting mammals, bighorn sheeps, deer, along with razorbacks. In the same way, he knew that many 'meeker' prey were more commonly arrested for theft, rats and rodents for white collar crimes and fraud, while bunnies, generally very law abiding, disproportionately committed sexual crimes.

He couldn't help but notice that there were actually six or so bucks here, a mix of rabbits and hares.

Part of him wondered why he was keeping track of all of this, before another part reminded him that he didn't really have much else to do, other than wander down a long corridor and settle into a small holding room.

"Hey," someone spoke from up ahead. "They've turned off the news!"

There was a sudden chorus of cheers and clapping, broken off as a capybara in glasses next to Kris shouted out. "What have they put on instead?"

"Adverts."

"What after, you dingus," another mammal shouted.

"Well I don't know."

The capybara huffed. "If they've put on '_Everymam gets on with Desmond_', then the news is better."

"Cuss," the first mammal spoke, looking up. "Come on, preschool channel."

A bunch of other mammals began crossing their fingers and hooves wishing for just that, Kris stuck in the middle of it, staying silent on the surrealness of it all. He could only look on and think like before, though he now guessed that it did have a purpose. If he was going to survive and stay strong for his friends outside, he had to understand how everything worked here. After all, how could he make the right decisions if he didn't know how things worked?

"Come on, gimme something," a tall wolf spoke, standing away from the rest of the group with his own posse: a hare, two bunnies, and a few other prey mammals.

The mood in the room flipped completely, many of the mammals turning and telling him to shut up, often interspersed with calls of him being a perv. One did so in particular, a massive polar bear who dominated the room. He turned, glaring severely, before yelling out in a russian accent. "You! Nobody wants your opinion on this! Shut up, leave us alone."

The wolf's ears and tail drooped and he did just that, just as the adverts ended. An energetic little mouse was then shown at a desk with a puppet flower to her side, happily presenting the little kids channel and being met with a thunder of applause by the teenage prisoners. It only increased as she cheerily announced that _Luna the Moon Princess _was up next, the reaction this side more akin to one expected of a live Gazelle concert or… well, whatever they actually enjoyed.

For the next ten minutes, Kris watched on with the joking crowd as the wolf resident of Aphowlo Castle got ready to take her little brother out on a trip to the beach, promising that they'd be swimming happily in the sea of tranquility. On being warned that there was a light meteor shower, she told him to stay by the door, saying that she'd slip out and see how bad it was. The crowd held its breath in anticipation as she went offscreen, before bursting into laughter as lots of 'Ooo's and Eeee's' came out the other side, the princess running back in with lumps on her head (even pointing out that her crown had lumps). She then began working on all sorts of ways to let them go out and enjoy their day on the beach regardless. From working with their resident mad scientist on a giant umbrella (which got blown away by solar wind), to a giant magnet that would suck all the rocks to it (it didn't, but it did steal a moon rover (with made in China written on its bottom)), to asking NASA to see if they could do anything (No, they couldn't, and on being asked what their point was then, they said: 'well, not that'.) The frustrated princess then went to her parents, asking them to ban the meteor shower or something, so that her brother could go to the beach. This then led to the moral of the story, that sometimes there are unfair things that you just can't change, and have to live with until they're over.

Kris frowned. It wasn't quite the message that he needed reminding of. The episode ended, the credits playing to '_the best, best dance, the moon, moon dance_,' just as the door at the back opened, the wolf pup (in a fresh prison suit) walking in. "Why's that baby show on?" he asked.

"For you," someone called, and then the crowd was laughing again, pointing again, taunting again. His ears went back and his lips wobbled, especially as some mammals began giving his rear a light slap, or even grabbing his tail and poking their nose in to give his rear a sniff. He began flailing about, shouting at them to stop it, and Kris made up his mind.

"Stop bullying him," he spoke, walking up to him and putting his paws out, waving them off. It quietened down as he looked down at the pup. "Don't worry, stand by me, I won't taunt you for a common disability."

He kept quiet as Kris put his arm around him, leading him into an empty area. One mammal, a goat, stood up to him and laughed. "Hey, crying to daddy?"

Kris walked to the side, pulling the pup with him, their backing off met with the pointing goat advancing, Kris quickly deciding to take some preventative action. The goat thrust his hoof forward and the silver fox grabbed it, twisting it and pulling it past him, the goat yelling in pain as he was pulled away, Kris making sure to take the pup out of his reach. The caprid looked back, nostrils flaring. "You're going to regret that, filth!"

"I don't want a fight…"

"Yes you do chomper!"

"I don't want any bullying," Kris said, plainly, though inside he was worrying. Was that the right move, or had he just made a terrible mistake?

"As if, you lying pelt!"

Did it even matter? Thankfully he didn't hold the goat in any high regard, even before he outed himself as one of those… He could easily let the insult flow over him, even though he really didn't like it. What was far more worrying was what the hateful goat would do next.

The pup scowled and spoke up. "He knows karate! He'll beat you up!"

Kris held up a paw to hold him back as the polar bear from earlier stepped between them, sparing him a glance before staring the goat down. That was the end of that. By that point, the next episode was well underway, and everyone was back to watching it. As the credits rolled, Kris realised that they'd probably changed it from the news because of his situation. He wondered what was going on outside.

No time left for that though, as a door opened and they walked into the canteen. It was loud and noisy, the large area split into two. One half was full of other prisoners, busy pushing through their food, the other was being departed by what must have been the first bunch in that morning. Kris and the others just lined up, grabbing trays and getting their food. A few slices of toast with some butter spread, and the option to take some jam, honey or marmalade (Kris felt like the latter), followed by some baked beans and the option of cereal, oatmeal or a silage salad. They only had soya milk and he wasn't a grazer, so the silverfox went for the middle option, also choosing some fruit (apples slices and some berries) and receiving another one of those predator protein shakes.

There was some wining behind him, the pup naturally complaining that he didn't like the look of any of it. Thankfully he seemed to be making his mind up quickly. Kris used the time to swap his marmalade for honey (he could use the toast to mop stuff up, while he felt the oatmeal could do with some honey) before guiding the pup onward. The tables were already filling up, and Kris took stock of who was where.

Most of the tables were only filled with prey, it made sense given the majority. One particular bunch had the goat who'd bullied the pup before, so that was ruled out, even before he and some of his friends began giving the two sideways looks. On the other paw, a different table had five of the predators, half of them. Kris wondered if they were a gang, and whether they'd accept the pup, given that some were looking at him darkly. The only other tables with predators on them were mixes of pred and prey: one had the tall wolf and his posse of bunnies and others; one had a racoon, the capybara with glasses and a few other pawed mammals, including a kangaroo; the last contained a civet, most of the other bunnies and a few sheep and others.

The last one seemed to be the most invited, a few of them were waving them over, Kris beginning to make a move. He paused though as he realised that the pup was wandering off to another waving table, the one with the wolf and bunnies, all putting on big smiles. An alarm went off in his head and he walked over, grabbing the pup and stopping him.

"He can sit with us," the wolf said, looking down. "Come on, you can be in my pack. You can both be my betas."

Kris scowled, only for the pup to tug away. "I wouldn't," he warned.

"But… But I can be a beta!"

"Yeah," the wolf carried on, "cute little beta."

"We'll treat you both nice," a pig said.

"Cute silvy fox too," the wolf spoke, smiling.

Their happy faces then morphed into fear as a shadow approached from behind Kris and the pup, the group looking away. Kris looked up behind him, just as the polar bear from earlier lumbered up, staring the table down. He then glanced at the pup, who was quivering. "You stay away from those sick mammals," he spoke, "unless you are sick like them. Are you?" the pup shook his head. "Then sit there." He pointed to the table that Kris had been going to, the pup wandering off as the bear looked over at Kris. "Come with me. I have many things to talk about, but we eat food first."

Kris nodded and followed, settling down with the rest of them and eating up. The food was bland but edible, the honey helping with the oatmeal. Kris was mopping up the remaining bean sauce with his last piece of cold toast when they were given the order to pack up and go. Eating on the fly as he moved out, Kris' ears rose as the bear spoke. "So, tell me. Why do you look after pup?"

.

* * *

.

The city centre of Zootopia was beating like usual that morning, hundreds of thousands of mammals swarming in for another usual day of work and sometimes play. Amongst them all, three mammals were entering one of Yakatomi Plaza's elevators. "Morning," Anai said, sitting back in the lift and looking at his phone. Haida and Retsuko glanced at him and nodded.

"Morning," they both replied.

"You weren't in yesterday, so I didn't get any lunch orders for you," he added.

"We'll get takeout," Haida said. The Japanese badger nodded, turning back to his phone and scrolling through.

"Do you know where Fenneko is?"

The two glanced at each other. "She was feeling unwell," Haida said, as he pressed their floor button.

"Fair enough," he said, before frowning a little. "I'd completed some work for her and was hoping that she could check it."

"Well, I can do that after clearing my urgents," Retsuko reassured him, as they began to rise.

"Say," the badger asked, looking up. "Have you seen Pounceheart's new video?"

The two glanced at each other, knowingly. "You mean Anton Pounceheart?" Haida asked.

"Yeah! He's the guy who called the nighthowler crisis. Now the DA is going after an innocent fox kit."

"Huh?"

Anai looked up. "Someone tried to stitch him up by planting howlers in his locker," he said, looking down and shivering slightly. "Now he's abusing the laws to send him to prison. Even the Chief of Police said he should go home!"

"Can I have a look?" Retsuko asked, peering over. Anai opened his phone again and played out the video. It was near the end, the fox presenter in question turning away from Dr Silverfox and Mr and Mrs Fox to look at the audience.

"_Let's be clear here, this is not justice. This is an act of pure revenge against a fox, done because he's a fox, by the remnants of Bellwether's speciesist schemes. Three years ago, we didn't defeat them. This wasn't our Battle of __Bär__lin, it wasn't our Kurshka, Stagengrad or even Mooscow. They are still out there, they can still win, and the establishment is happy for them to still be out there, within them. It's not just our DA, but thousands of prey within the rank and file civil servants, contractors, mid and low level officials and members of local government and councillors. All part of her flock, all hiding behind their fake smiles and white wool, all sympathetic to her cause and secretly hating predators and looking for ways to put, us, down! I said it before, I'll say it again, we need a complete purge of all prey potentially connected and a restart from ground zero, otherwise the attack on this innocent fox will just be another page in the middle of a long book. They didn't give up after the first crisis, they won't give up even if we defeat them in this one, and all the while we'll suffer from institutional discrimination. If anything, Kurt Wassermaim is the useful idiot for all the sympathisers, his big attack distracting us from their thousands of miniscule, individual, unseeable little attacks going on every single day that all add up into death by a thousand cuts! But that's for the future. First things first, we need to show them that we won't back down. Tomorrow we'll be organising the first of many protests against Kurt Wassermaim and bringing the fight to them. Please, join us there._"

"Pretty on point, right?" Anai said, slipping his phone back down. "Not like the TV news would have the guts to say that. I remember his arguments about their institutional speciesism, I used them for my complaints to ZNN after the truth came out."

The two other mammals looked at each other, quietly sympathetic towards whoever had to deal with all of those, as they reached their floor, the doors opening.

"Haida! Retsuko! I saw you on the news!" They turned to spot Ookami walking up to them, cup of tea in paw. "What was going on there?"

"They were on the news?" Kabae asked, the hippo joining up with them. Anai looked on, utterly confused, as a few other office workers began crowding around, Retsuko calming them down before giving them the cliff notes: going out with their friends, the call, meeting the family and then seeing him get taken away. Most looked on and listened in, whether they'd seen the news report or not. Both workers couldn't help but notice Kabae begin to shake and shiver, eventually bursting into tears as they recounted it all. There was a pause, Haida offering to help, only for Ookami to hold up a paw and do it himself, wrapping an arm around her and leading her off.

"She's a mother, isn't she?" Anai asked rhetorically. "Must be rough imagining one of her children in the same spot." Retsuko couldn't help but think the same thing. She'd seen how distraught Kris' father had been when they'd taken him away, while she herself had felt a gut punch about everything that had happened. There was also the fact that children were something she wanted too in her life, likely via a sperm donation now given her and Haida's biological incompatibility. She wanted little things to love and be loved by, and imagining them being ripped away… It sent a shiver down her spine, and that was _before_ imaging how bad it must be for them.

"Yeah," Haida said, nodding. "Also, you hadn't joined when it happened, but someone falsely accused her of espionage."

"You weren't in either, Haida," Komiya the meerkat pointed out.

"No, I had pneumonia."

"And Tsubone had a broken wrist while we were all doing the end of month accounts! Do you know how much of a nightmare that was?"

"Probably not as much as it was for her," Retsuko said, glancing over. "Or her family. But we thought that if we could help this kit, then that was a good thing to do."

"Yeah," Anai agreed. "Maybe I can try and help out too."

"The more help the better," the red panda agreed. There were various nods of support and calls, only for them to fade off as Director Ton walked around the corner.

"Come on, we're running behind. You're not paid to stand around you know?"

The various parties split off to their various workstations, quickly logging on and getting to work. Retsuko in particular had a small backlog, which she needed to focus on and clear as quickly as she could. Plugging herself with a coffee, even though she'd never been a fan of the taste, and slipping in her little Bluefang secret radio, she got to work, making sure to send a certain email off to a certain someone first. Some critical information requests had come in yesterday, which she quickly began filling in. Then there was some other data, handed in with her in charge of updating the central files. Much of it was rote copying, not helped by the fact that some of the specialist business plan spreadsheets did not react well to straight up copying and pasting. The fact that she could gently rock along to the music tunes certainly helped though, especially as it kept her thoughts in line. Even so, as she worked she couldn't help but think about what it must be like for Kris, or what he was doing, or how he was coping. The musical and chemical stimulation kept her productive though. Typing through, then scrolling back up, she finished all of yesterday's work as the time hit eleven.

"_And now the news update_,' the little earpiece spoke. " _District Attorney, Kurt Wassermaim, has been accused of abusing power after going over Chief Bogo and the ZPD in order to use a piece of anti-terror legislation to imprison an anonymous vulpine accused of nighthowler possession after four refined pellets were found in his school locker. In a statement, the ZPD has stated that they didn't believe the evidence was high enough to warrant charges, and there is strong circumstantial evidence to suggest that it was a set up. Regardless, in stark contrast to the Youth Justice Laws, Wassermaim invoked the Nighthowler Act. The anonymous vulpine is currently being held in Zootopia Youth Penitentiary and could wait one month for formal charges to be served, and a further six until his trial date. There are claims that this was due to antipredator sentiments of the DA by eyewitnesses to the event. In contrast, the District Attorney has released this counter-statement."_

There was a pause, before his voice spoke up. "_For all those claiming that this is due to antipredator sentiments, how does that square against the fact that the Chief Justice, knowing nothing about the species' involved, decided that my judgement was fair and appropriate? I used the law as it's meant to be used, unless of course someone is saying that they don't apply to a fox? Something that sounds pretty speciesist to me. Mammals want us to be hard on those still dealing with these things, so I'm being hard on them. The predators of the city can sleep easy at night knowing that I'm willing to keep anyone messing with these things off the street, all while being fair in my judgement, paying no heed to the suspects' species, age, sex or creed_."

Retsuko's brow furrowed and she felt her internal rage light switch on. _Shut your mouth you big fat hippo! You just want him to suffer, your mouth needs a zipper! Pred Hateeeerrrr… Pred Hateeeerrr…_

She finished typing, bringing her paws off of the keyboard and slamming them down on the desk, all while the DJ decided to play an 'appropriate song'. Retsuko listened on curiously, only to frown as a set of drum beats ramped up, followed by hard electric guitars ripping along. '_Breaking rocks in the, hot sun… I fought the law and the, the law won.'_

Frowning, she turned it off and put it away, closing her eyes and breathing in and out. Too soon, too hard, too rough.

Without the music though, her mind wandered once more. Back to Kris, back to how he was doing, back to how he must have felt waking up that morning. She pondered and thought for a while, before finally getting pulled back to reality.

"-Uh, Retsuko?"

"Oh, yes Anai?" she asked, snapping out of her mental stupor and looking over.

"I sent the documents you said you'd check over."

"Right," she mumbled, turning back to her emails. She paused, spotting that a reply to her earlier email had come back. Reading through it, she glanced at her junior. "I need to go in an hour. Do you have anything left to do until lunch?"

"No."

"Right," she said, noticing a small set of updates, similar to those she'd been doing earlier, which had come in today. "Mind updating the reporting files with these?"

He nodded and she sent them across, before she clicked through his work. A bit of a rush at the end, but she saw that he'd got it all correct, just in time too.

Away from her desk, she spotted Haida and gave him a nod, him returning it, before she went up three floors. Exiting out, she looked up and saw a large sign hanging in front of her.

.

**'Marketing Department'**

.

"Retsuko!"

Looking forward, she smiled as she saw Director Gori walking up to her. After all, who else was best to drink the DA under than her. A massive gorilla, a long term friend, emotional enough to easily fall right behind the cause and confident enough to do it. That DA was about to meet the baddest bitch in the room. "Hi Gori!"

"Why didn't you tell me about the Triple Date?"

"Uhhhh…" she blanked. "Y-you know about that?"

"Of course," she said. "Washimi told me."

"Washimi knows?"

"Of course she knows. But how was it? What went on? Give me everything! I need to know!"

"Right," she mumbled. "I'll do that, but first, I need you to do a big favour."

"Ooooh, what is it?"

"Well…"

"I'd be happy to do it, whatever it is."

Retsuko felt an odd mix of relief and annoyance, swallowing it down before carrying on.

"-As long as it doesn't include alcohol, of course!"

Retsuko blinked. "Uhhh…"

"Oh, didn't you know?" she asked, gesturing to an area just above the right side of her pelvis. "I was having some gut pains and it turned out my appendix was inflamed. No worry, I just have to take a course of antibiotics, but that means no alcohol for the next two weeks. Still, we can do lots of stuff together, can't we?"

"Y-yes," Retsuok mumbled, internally grumbling. Of all the weeks for it to happen!

"Say, do red panda's have appendixes too? I'd think so, given that it's only rabbits and such where they become cecums."

"Yes, we do," she replied, bitterly. "Say, if you weren't undergoing medical treatment, would you be willing to help out-drink a corrupt government official in order to expose him and help free a wrongly imprisoned child?"

There was a pause, then a gasp. "This is about the thing you were on the news for in the morning! I was going to ask about that after the triple date, but of course I'd have done it." She stood up, doing a supermammal pose, then stretching one hand up into the sky and gazing heroically up at it. "I'd have been an awesome crusader for justice, helping free an innocent mammal! It would have been amazing. Incredible! I'd have done you so proud!"

"Yes," she sighed, looking down.

"Ah. Are you internally death metal raging about the stupid timing?"

"Yes."

"Can we talk about the triple date now?"

Retsuko huffed. She really wasn't in the mood.

"Washimi will be buying lunch for both of us at that place you really like. Sound good?"

"Yes."

"Feeling better."

"Yes."

"Good. And don't worry, whoever else is helping you will likely be having better luck on their side. This is a super exciting endurance marathon, not a sprint."

Glancing up, the red panda smiled. "Thanks. I'm feeling a little better, and hopefully they are having better luck than us."

"No worries, it's what friends do. Now let's get lunch and talk triple date!"


	61. An Anonymous Vulpine 17 (Day 2)

**Chapter 17**

.

**AN: Something I meant to mention last chapter but forgot. Remember that Jack-Skye pic I did for Skye's Fall chapter 3 ages ago (present on A03). Well, I've been practising with digital art and completely re-did it. Its re-uploaded in place of the old one for anyone that wants a look**

.

Wyllas Street was an unremarkable street in an unremarkable part of Downtown. On the south side was a nearly uninterrupted row of old brownstone buildings, built for a mix of small to medium sized mammals. The few interruptions included an ugly concrete community centre and an empty plot of land, currently used for parking. Finnick rolled his van up to it, slotting a buck into a metal can by a small cabin, making sure to take a picture as he did so. The old mouse inside looked up from his computer and scowled, but gestured him in anyway. They came to a halt with a jolt, the back doors opening as Honey jumped out. "Yaahhhh…." she half groaned, half yawned, stretching out her legs one by one. "Is it me, or did downtown traffic get worse while I was in the funny farm?"

"Cuss if I know," Finnick mumbled, peeking out too. His eyes narrowed and he got out his phone, scrolling through.

"Cuss if we do either," Mr Fox, 'The Leader', announced, stepping out into the open and staring up into the air, a two-tone badass guitar riff _Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh_ sounding out as his fur blew awesomely in the breeze.

Jack's voice fangasmed out of the van. "Is that the Hugo Staglitz intro riff from _Inroarious Basterds_!?"

Finnick meanwhile blinked a few times, before chuckling. "You've got a badass-introduction guitar-riff box on you?"

"Of course," he spoke, as he pulled a little box out of his pocket and let it fly into the air, flipping over itself. "For my introduction as the team leader." It landed in his other paw and he pressed the button again, the badass guitar tone ringing out for a second time. _Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh_

Finnick crossed his paws and nodded. "Nice, do I get one?"

"Yes you do Finnick, the getaway driver _Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh_," he spoke, Finnick, raising his glasses and smiling as his own riff sounded out.

There was a rattle from inside the van, as Nick leant out. "You do know that he's going to be doing the investigating too, so not strictly a getaway driver."

"Good point, Nick Wilde," Mr Fox said, raising the box. Nick saw it and slipped his black specs on, crossing his arms. "That's why you are, the killjoy." _Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh_

"Cuss-yeawhaaat?" he asked, pulling down his specs. He then grumbled as he spotted Finnick, rolling on the floor and laughing. He frowned, looking up at Mr Fox. "I didn't get a say in this."

"You didn't get a say in me being the leader _Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh_ either."

"That doesn't prove any point."

"And that right there is why you are, the killjoy _Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh_."

A small rattle came from inside as Mr Fox's old sidekick, Kylie O'Possum, poked out. "Thinking back to the baby shower job, I think the killjoy is a real good fit for you."

Mr Fox looked on and smiled. "Which is why you, Kylie O'Possum, are… _Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh_ the trusty sidekick."

"Nice."

Nick shrugged, deciding to let it be. "Okay, okay, I'm the killjoy. And, living that role, who made that box in the first place?"

Honey's eyes lit up. "Oh, I did! I did!"

"That's right, Honey Badger, _Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh_," he spoke, the ratel beaming. "Mad scientist."

She trembled a bit in excitement. "Man, that's as awesome as I imagined it would be."

"Yes, quite," came a posh voice from inside as Jack poked out.

"Jack Savage, _Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh_, the spy!"

"Naturally," he spoke. "-Ooooh, what's Skye?"

They looked back into the van, spotting the vixen there. She looked back and shrugged. "Oh, I don't mind."

Nick opened up his paws. "You can have killjoy from me. I think it suits you."

"Ahahahah," Mr Fox spoke, gesturing in. "Skye Autumn, _Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh_, regular scientist."

"Regular?" Kylie asked.

"As opposed to mad," Mr Fox explained, gesturing over to Honey. "And, last but not least, Judy Hopps. _Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh_. Super cop!"

They all looked back in, not seeing the bunny but instead hearing her. She'd been snoozing on Finnick's bed ever since they'd set off. The fennec in question nodded, before bringing up his phone. "Right, Duke's place is that weird one we just passed on the other side. You guys ready?"

Jack, sans disguises but with a pair of glasses, stepped out. "Jack Savage, the sequel. Ready!"

"Mr Fox, at your command," Mr Fox replied. Unlike Jack, though, he was in disguise. He'd swapped his usual ensemble for a new costume, despite a few protests at first. As Jack, and then Nick, had pointed out, they needed something sufficiently downmarket to suggest that Mr Fox, suave as his manners and voice may be, was as down on his luck as any mammal would need to be to look for a spare room here. Consequently, he'd suggested swapping outfits with Nick, which was why he was now dressed in a pair of tan slacks and an incredibly loud red pawaian shirt, complete with white hibiscus flowers and orange plumeria amongst the palm fronds.

"Wait just a sec," Nick spoke.

"Ah, Mr Killjoy, am I going to learn that my down-classing is not yet complete?" he asked, as Nick worked his paws around Mr Fox's collar, pulling it up.

"Yup. I'm looking for the real Wilde style."

He brought out a tie and slipped it on, pulling down the collar. Mr Fox immediately did up his top button and tightened the tie completely.

Nick flicked his paw away, pulled down the tie a little and undid the button. "I said the _real_ Wilde style."

Out came a pair of jet black aviators, pushed onto Mr Fox's muzzle. Nick drew back, paws going wide as he beamed on in pride. "Perfection."

The dapper vulpine raised his eyebrows and fiddled with his near eyewear, testing the weight before looking back. "I for one am still a goggles mam." _Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh_

Kylie meanwhile blinked a few times. "I find this change disconcerting."

"Yeah, yeah," Finnick mumbled. "Just stay away from me, I didn't know slick's terrible dress sense was contagious. Now come on fella's, we gotta job to do!"

Off he went, Jack, Kylie and Mr Fox following, leaving Nick to retreat into the van with Honey. Inside, he sat down by Skye, the vixen looking through a video link to Jack's glasses.

"Oh," Honey jumped in, cutting in front of her to press a few buttons. "'Member to put on the video recorder."

Skye looked on, confused. "We can't use this as criminal evidence or anything, can we?" she asked, looking to Nick for confirmation. Nick nodded on, growing a little concerned as he turned to an excited Honey.

"-Oh no, it's just so we can go back and review it after. Don't want to miss any clues."

Nick blinked a few times. "Oh, okay then… Makes sense. Good one, Honeybun."

She blinked. "Did I give you Honeybun privileges?"

"Hey, just a nickname, Honeybun."

She blinked a few times, smiling. "-A nickname? A nickname!"

Despite his slight concern, Nick felt himself smile. "Why yes, yes it is."

"What was what…?" came a groan from the floor. All eyes looked down to see Judy, blinking a bit as she got up, wobbling on the water mattress inside Finnick's secluded 'cave' area. She pulled aside the leopard print curtains, blinking a second or two, before jumping out. "We're actually here?"

"Yes," Nick said.

"Why didn't you wake me earlier?"

"Because you looked so peaceful."

Frowning, Judy walked up, gave him a light punch, before leaning in, her eyes narrowing at the sight on the screen.

Meanwhile, the four mammals were busy making their way back along the street.

Meanwhile, the four mammals were busy making their way back along the street. Passing the community centre on the south side, they walked over to the north, where the mix of buildings was more eclectic. Segments of the brownstones remained, but in many cases they'd been knocked down over the years and new things put up. One large block of flats dominated them, their front a featureless monotony of bricks and equal-sized windows, all built for large mammals such as antelopes and lions. A small break in the ground floor frontage included a large metal grill with an in-built door, a warning sign telling the world that this was ZTA property and that blocking vehicles would be closed.

Jack paused to look at it, his ears straining, before he nodded. "Thought I heard a train down there."

There was a chirp from his side, as he heard Skye's voice getting played to him. "_Construction access for the eastern-downtown subway line, built in the sixties._"

"Most fascinating," Jack spoke, as he and the others carried on, slipping past another chunk of brownstones before reaching an odd looking concrete building. Along the bottom were the fronts of small flats, built for mammals the size of Finnick, which opened onto small gardens. Above them were rooms sized for mammals around Jack and Mr Fox's size, with their own balconies. Then above that there was a floor for wolf sized mammals, then larger ones for lion sized, then rhino sized and, on the very top, four two story apartments for elephants. Under each window, brightly coloured plastic sheeting was fixed, overall trying to give the whole blocky, boxy, ugly thing a bright and cheerful look but instead landing in some kind of architectural uncanny valley.

Slipping through a driveway to one side, the group saw that the building's weirdness didn't end there. In fact, it had only just begun. The fennec sized flats only went a little way back, then facing onto car parking spaces and an access road for them. Overhanging all that was the ends of the fox sized flats and their access balcony, reached by a small staircase in the middle of the structure. Where they ended, up in the air, the fox sized car park began below, itself overhung by the wolf sized flats and their access deck, accessed by a pair of stairs that climbed over the fox sized ones.

And so it went on in all three cases, each larger set of flats overhanging the next (and occasionally sending down some beefy support columns), their car park butting on, and their staircase going over the other. In effect, it meant that no mammal had to walk up any more than one flight of steps to reach their home.

"Right," Mr Fox began as they walked towards them. "Weasel is a bit larger than a fennec, so second set up."

Finnick looked at the address in his paws and grumbled. "Nope."

"Things are going to be awkward for us," Kylie guessed. "So top floor."

"Yup."

"Wasn't he sharing it with a ferret?" Mr Fox asked.

Finnick looked at him and put his paws up. "Hey, I'm just as confused as you. Same as stripy bun, too."

"Oh, I'm not confused," Jack replied, casually.

"You're not?"

"No, I'm concerned."

"Concerned?"

The pair halted as they caught sight of the elephant sized steps, each one coming up to Mr Fox's waist.

"Concerned."

"Ah C'mon!" Finnick cursed, stomping on the ground.

"Hmmmm," Mr Fox pondered.

"Logically there would be a way for a small mammal to get up…" He carried on walking around. "-And there is."

He flashed them a wink as they joined him, finding out that a side of the steps had been filled in as a ramp, letting them climb up. They soon reached the top, taking a second or two to catch their breath, before carrying on to the end. Finnick looked at the address again and grumbled, before pulling it down, smiling a little as he saw a small doorway that had been fit into the wall near the main door. The trio knocked on it and waited.

"Urghh…" Jack groaned, glancing back at the awkward staircase they'd just walked up. "Who designed this upside down house thing in the first place. Too many size classes, just mixed together."

"Most likely the architects that saw that over there being put up," Mr Fox said, gesturing through the railings at the hulking figures of happytown heights, lying not that far away. "Decided that they didn't like the whole species size segregation thing, and wanted to go back to the old ways of mixing it all together."

"But why do it upside down? It makes sense doing the largest on the bottom, then going smaller as you go up. Instead, I had to walk all the way up here."

"Only because we're going to the elephant sized houses. Were we going to our own sized ones, we'd only have a little way up to go, unlike 'the right way up' where the smaller you are the higher you have to climb."

"Ahem," he spoke, gathering himself up. "There's this wonderful invention called the lift. This stair thing is just an excuse not to put a lift in, like potato wedges are an excuse not to peel the potatoes. The results both times are massive disappointments."

"Or it saves money by avoiding the lift," he said, shrugging. He was broken off as an impatient Finnick knocked again. "Although savings there were largely destroyed by the cost of having to put in external columns to stop it all tipping over, which was why only five blocks of this design were ever built. Still, it was considered a return to form and paved the way to the common subsidised megafauna housing unit template, merging a less ambitious three size classes and keeping them all on the same footprint, which is still built to this day!"

…

"Am I interesting you?" Mr Fox asked, before looking away. "Or is the presentation of my insightful knowledge just boring to strangers now." He turned back down to Jack. "Surely as an artist you know that feedback is appreciated."

"I'm just wondering how you knew all that…"

"I interviewed the architect," he said, smiling. "I do write for a newspaper, don't you know?"

Jack pulled up a finger. "That makes sense. Also, Skye's telling me that it was."

Finnick gave them a glance. "Look alive boys," he spoke, before turning forward again. There was a rattling at the door opened, Duke's roommate peeking out.

.

* * *

.

For her demonstration, Catano led Oates and Bogo into the men's locker room, pausing as its one current occupant noticed them.

"Uh, Kii…"

"At ease, Clawhauser," Bogo spoke, as they found a spare locker. Catano looked at it and nodded.

"As I thought, exact same type as in the school." She then held up two stiff metal pins, similar to the types often used by porcupines to keep wayward spines in place. Bending them out, she dug them into a lock. "Very basic, and easy to…" there was a click as it unlocked. "Fun thing we got taught at a 'think like the enemy' class at the academy.

Oates nodded. "I remember that same class, certainly an entertaining distraction."

"Right," Catano nodded, handing them over. "Your turn."

He paused, then frowned, holding up his flat hooves. "There's a reason you don't get any equine pickpockets, you know?"

Catano nodded, before turning to The Chief. "Your turn." Bogo took them in his hoof fingers and had a go; it soon became very apparent that he was struggling, badly. The pins jostled and slipped against the hard keratin, again and again in a long exercise in frustration. Eventually, after a few final huffs and groans, he finally managed to slip them in, pushing them around to open it up.

"How much longer was that?" he asked.

"Three minutes versus my ten seconds," she summarised. "And I'm pretty sure that our sheep is even more of a beginner than you were. Unlike the weasel, who has experience. More importantly, she'd be stuck doing this during school hours. You could easily have a pawed mammal slip in and out. A hoofed mammal trying to pick a lock would be painfully obvious."

"Or, being from such a well endowed and prejudiced family," Oates mused, "she had a specialised tool that did it before you could say jiminy cricket. I get your point Kii, but that family connection there is sitting out like a sore thumb pad. We'd be foolish not to get into their house and turn it over."

Bogo snorted. "With all his mock caring about ovinophobia, do you really think the DA would permit it without any evidence? We'd have to do plenty of interviews first and get something firm."

"And if that lamb works out we're onto her, she'd squeal to her parents and they'd wipe everything. They probably already have!" Oates countered.

"Well," Bogo groaned. "We'll have to tread very carefully. I think we've got no option other than trying to question that family and putting out our warrant for our weasel. Other than that, we're a bit limited." He paused, looking at his two officers before smiling. "Knowing Hopps and Wilde though, they'll probably be discovering even more leads before we can. Not that that's the ideal situation, is it?"

"No sir," they replied.

"Good. I've got to prepare a statement for the media. You two, carry on," he replied, before walking off.

Oates looked down at the lock and frowned. "Bet that's the first time our sheep is feeling lucky to not have paws."

Catano nodded, looking at his flat hooves before glancing down at her nimble paws. "How much does it affect your life?"

"Oh plenty, but there's no use kicking up a fuss. It is what it is," he huffed. "I will say though, text to speech is a godsend. It wasn't long ago that some were saying all horses would be 'surplus to economic requirement' or whatever. Still, it's what's up here that counts." He pointed to his head. "Just a shame most horses still look back to the time when we paid our way with our broad shoulders and not much else. Can't deny it has a big appeal though…"

"I guess it's like with us cheetahs and running. Every cheetah wants to be an athlete when they're young."

"-I didn't!"

They turned to spot Ben, finishing getting dressed. Kii smiled. "Well, maybe not _every_ one." She turned back to Oates. "Still though, you had plenty of horse empires in the past, didn't you? The Moringols, the Great Horse Hordes, the Don Cossak Horselords... I don't think there was ever a cheetah empire."

Oates smiled. "Well, the way I hear it, those Khanates and whatever only existed due to our alliances with pawed mammals. Sometimes red and corsac foxes or marmots, by the time of the Horselords wolf packs, who's alpha stood alongside their leader… I think Gabrielli the Thunderer's one was called Luka? Well, whatever he was, they lived with the horses and handled all the fiddly crafty stuff which we couldn't. Heck, even putting our armor on and taking it off. Of course, out here you get some apple-drunk morons who think that predators are the reason we're the poorest species." He frowned and spat on the floor. "Pardon me."

"No worries."

"Still though," he mused. "I'm curious how they knew that that schoolmate was Bellwether's heir or whatever."

"Oh, I know." They turned, spotting Ben walking up to them. "Or at least I think I know. There's this Ewetube channel I used to watch a while back, and I think one of the videos mentioned tracking down Bellwether's heir. Been a while, but we can check it out."

"Sure," Catano said, as she and Oates walked out with him, leaving the lockers behind them.

.

* * *

.

Meanwhile, in front of the locker where everything had gone wrong, Ash frowned. Working a bit with his paws, checking his phone, he nodded and locked up his locker, pausing before glancing down.

Kris' locker. Someone had taken the door off, before pulling out everything that had been in there, leaving nothing but a bare metal cave.

"If I'd have been the tall one," he muttered, his eyes hanging on it. He and Kris had joked about how they should swap lockers around once, the higher one for the tall fox and the lower one for the short one. If that had been the case, if they'd have matched up, would the mammal who'd done this have made the same mistake? If it was the weasel, had he seen these two and thought that as he was the short one, it was his?

Or, if it had been…

He closed his eyes and walked away, ignoring the glances that he was being given. The hall, usually filled with loud chatter and shouts, was instead simmering with cold whispers. Did some of them think that he'd done it?

He looked up, his eyes meeting with an armadillo student. A few awkward seconds later and she gave a nod in solidarity before carrying on on her way. The good mood was cut short not long after though, when he heard some students laughing. "_I mean, if it was gonna be any species…_" someone was joking.

Ash looked away and shook his head. He was going to be strong for Kris, like Kris would be strong for him, as that was what you did. It didn't take long for him to reach the science lab where he was registered, entering in and experiencing the volume inside drop, hard.

"How you holding up?"

It was Mitch, the wildcat walking up beside him. Ash sighed. "Not good."

"No cuss. I was told you'd be home for the rest of the week."

"Yeah," came another voice, one of the Packson brothers.

"I just kept on thinking about him. Maybe here I'd be kept busy," he waved off, before scanning around. Where was she, where was she…

"Ash." Looking up, the form tutor came up. "If that's what you feel like, that's fine. But in case it becomes overwhelming, I'll tell the head staff that you might be coming in. Just tell them and you can go home."

"Thanks," he said, nodding.

The teacher stepped back, clearing his throat. "As you all know, something serious happened to one of your classmates yesterday."

"He was going to cussing howler us!" someone shouted, immediately triggering an angry shout from a different student. Ash frowned, his teeth gritting as the whole room began to split, some saying that it was a stitch up, the others yelling that they knew what they'd seen. Pushing past Beavis, the chipmunk mercifully keeping out of it, he yelled out.

"My cousin was framed and I know it, so leave him alone!"

Annoyingly it didn't work, the shouts carrying on. He was about to yell again, only for the teacher to beat him to it. "QUIET!"

The room went still, looking at him as he crossed his arm. "An assembly has been called, right after registration. They'll tell you about the basics of what's going on. However, if I hear anything going on against Ash, or Agnes for that matter, you might be spending some time after school thinking about it. Understood!?"

There was a mutual collection of yes-sir's, before he turned. "Register?"

Brittany stepped up, looking like she'd scene a ghost. The teacher read through it and nodded, before waving them off. Ash walked out, the whole crowd near silent.

"It really was him…"

He looked up to see Brittany, walking by him. He nodded. "Technically, yes."

"I… -what do you mean, technically?"

"He was framed," he said. "And I'm going to help clear his name."

She stopped walking, standing still, Ash doing likewise. They stood there, part-blocking the hall for a second or two before she dove in, holding him tight. Ash squirmed a bit before noticing that she was shaking, hard. He hugged her back, before she let go. "You… You're a good cousin," she said, still looking conflicted as she stood up and carried on walking.

Ash's eyes narrowed. "I am," he spoke, looking around. "Hey, has anyone seen Maisy?"

"No," someone said.

"Don't think she came in," replied another.

Ash grunted. Of course she hadn't come in, had she? Walking on, he guessed that if she was innocent, this would be due to fear. Same for if she was guilty, though in that case she could have come in to reduce the suspicion, couldn't she? Or would that be exactly what she thought others would think? He grumbled… Everything was a moot point if it wasn't her, which he wished to be true. After all, he still wanted to be friends with…

With Bellwether's niece...

It just felt wrong thinking that. She was nothing like her!

Or was that an act? And what would happen if the news got out? Well, if she was innocent and her friendliness really was her, then it shouldn't change anything.

And then there was what would happen if her parents had forced her. Could he forgive her? Would he even be meeting her again, given that her parents might decide to make this absence permanent.

Cuss it, it was too much to think about! It was too much for any of them to have to think about. Why couldn't it just go back to normal, with everyone doing their lessons and looking forward to the holidays and thinking that dumb things that didn't matter were the end of the world. He looked down and fumed, only for his ears to perk as he heard someone speaking.

"-I don't trust them… That sneaky fox tricked us and brought those things in, and now the news is taking his side and…"

He was cut off as Ash marched up to him, his teeth bared. "Just shut up!"

The pig put his hooves up. "Dude, chill."

"Maybe I will when you stop hating on foxes, fox hater!"

The pig glared back, pushing Ash away. "Hey, I only have a problem with bad foxes. You're not a bad fox, are you?"

"He didn't do it!"

A crowd was forming, a circle slowly drawing out, just waiting for something to go down. The pig gave an oink. "Oh, of course you'd say that. This is why some mammals don't trust foxes, you know."

"-He didn't do it."

"Yes he did," he said, marching past. "I don't trust him, and now I don't trust you, and that's _your_ fault, not mine. And don't you dare call it speciesism too. If you can't take the scorn, don't do the sneak."

Ash looked at him angrily as he vanished into a crowd, before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath and walking on. Eventually they all lined up in the hall, where the principal once again stood. "I met an interesting person yesterday," she spoke. "Someone who was thrown into a terrible place, lost someone he knew, and had time to think, time to reevaluate what he wanted out of life. He helped me process this news and, from it, I can say this. There's nothing wrong with needing someone to listen to you. There's nothing wrong with being able to just throw out all your thoughts and conflicts and letting them take them in. It doesn't have to be to give advice, or offer words of wisdom, it can be there just so you can put everything you're feeling into words. That's something that can help more than you can imagine."

"Yesterday morning, as you may have heard on the news, one of our students was found with refined night howlers in his lockers. He was arrested, questioned, and after being due to be let go under supervision, had the book thrown at him by the District Attorney. He has currently been charged with no crime, undergone no trial, it must not be overstated that in the eyes of the law he is completely innocent. An innocent mammal, currently… currently held in a youth prison, until he is cleared or found guilty…"

There was a gasp from behind Ash and he turned, spotting Agnes. Paw to her heart, she began to pant, her breaths getting harder and harder. Standing up and racing over, he began helping her up, supporting her as she shook and trembled. Realising that there was a pause from the front, Ash glanced back, his eyes meeting that of the head. She flicked a paw at him, nodding, as he turned back to Agnes as her legs gave way, the shocked vixen collapsing into him hard.

"Come on," he said, wrapping a paw around her and helping her towards one of the exit doors. The head cleared her throat and carried on. What followed next was a plea to remember that he might be innocent, and if that was the case then he was going through hell. A plea to stand by each other, as everyone had been hurt by this, regardless of how they got there. A plea to tell them anything, anything at all, that might lead them to the truth, wherever that lay, and not to let themselves be divided by speciesism or anger.

Ash wasn't sure whether or not Agnes could hear it or not as they reached one of the doors, a teacher waiting there to carry on supporting her. Ash kept pace, occasionally trying to help. "Don't worry... He'll be okay… We've got people trying to help him…"

They were walking along to the path where the nurses office was when she jolted to a stop, her sniffs and tears suddenly beginning to overflow. "He's in prison..."

"We're going to get him out…"

"My boyfriend's in prison…"

"We're going to get him…"

"He's a criminal," she wailed, Ash jolting as her legs gave way. He and the teacher sat her down as she balled into her paws. "He's a criminal now, and…"

"He's innocent…"

"I know he didn't do it…"

"Yes, and we're…"

"But he's a criminal now… He's in prison…"

"He's innocent."

"But he's a prisoner…!" she wailed, face buried in her paws. "Kris is a criminal, he's been to prison, and… and…" She couldn't say anymore, instead just crying into her paws, rocking back and forth, as the shock and grief overwhelmed her.


	62. An Anonymous Vulpine 18 (Day 2)

**Chapter 18**

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.

"So, you're planning to enter the PI business," secretary Washimi spoke. Retsuko nodded, looking on as the delicate (yet ruthless) sentient secretary bird scooped up some of her noodles with her chopsticks, slurping them down. They were together at a familiar ramen place, Ram-Don, sitting together in a small area to the side that they often frequented. Retsuko had the feeling that it was for Washimi's sake. Ever since she was a little girl, she'd known that a few wild bird species had a surviving sentient species as well, just like it was known that non-sentient versions of some mammal species still existed far out there. Still, rare was underplaying it, and unless you went to Polynesia, Antarctica or New Zealand, the chances of stumbling into one on your days off were slim to none.

A secretary bird especially, given its origin in Africa. The only sentient bird she'd seen (in mammal at least) before Washimi was a California condor she'd bumped into when she was eight, sitting in the back of a store they'd popped into on a road trip down to the magic kingdom in Anaheim and scaring her half to death when she'd seen him, his gnarly fleshy head poking out of his reaper like cloak of feathers. She'd had nightmares on all the following nights of the trip, and a good few after too. In many cases, he'd morphed in those dreams, his feathers going cold like metal and his eyes going wide, burning like a crematorium furnace with hate. Something was so chilling about it, so demonic, and coming so naturally to her imagination. It was only much later that she wondered what it was like to be him, the remains of a lost path of evolution, stranded in a world not built for his class.

With the benefit of hindsight, she'd learnt that, like all vultures, evolution had designed him that way, building the ultimate scavenger. Of course, then came the great uplifting, and with mammals now practicing burial rights or handing over their dead to the predators, the niche they had so specialised in had become redundant. When the uplifting had finally reached the birds, condors and vultures were one of the few where the advantage over their non-evolved counterparts was enough to justify their continued existence. To the point that they were one of the few cases of sentient birds being more numerous than their non-sentient counterparts, in some cases to the point of the non-sentients going extinct. She couldn't shake the feeling though that he and his kind were not winners in all this. She tended to think that the only sentient birds that could be called that were the ones down in New Zealand, even after mammals finally arrived there. She also noted that it wouldn't necessarily make her first introduction any better.

After all, a dozen twelve foot tall Moāri dancers doing a haka in front of her wouldn't be the best introduction, would it?

Regardless, after that her only encounter with sentient birds was through the media, where their rarity acted as a novelty. Arguably the most famous comedy troupe of all time had once involved _four_ sentient birds: a yellow canary with a notable faux-feminine/ camp personality, who enjoyed playing the oblivious bystander/victim to his feline partners ultimately foiled exploits; a rage fuelled semi-mad black drake who was the bad guy and foil to his calm, smart-aleck bunny partner; a massive white brahma rooster from kentucky with a southern drawl as long as his slow burning penchant for mischief; and a roadrunner with a love of silent comedy shared by his coyote partner, to the point where they were known as the kings of slapstick. Closer to the present, there was a cult mockumentary/reality show supposedly about the gay interspecies relationship between a racoon named Rigby and a sentient blue jay named Mordecai… with each episode always spinning out into abject surrealness by the end.

In any case, all of that aside, the fact was that she'd had a doubletake at Washimi on first seeing her, and it had taken a while for the novelty of such a creature working in her office, as the CEO's secretary of all things, to wear off. By the time they'd start going out as friends, she was used to it, but she couldn't help but imagine what it was like for Washimi, being so out of place. Everyone all around you, turning their heads, double taking, staring. Was she used to it? Retsuko guessed that she had to be, how else would she cope, yet alone be so confident and strong. Still, places like this where she could sit in private with only those who knew her must have been something that she valued, even if she didn't say it.

Looking over to Gori, Retsuko wondered if the same thing was true with her. Gorillas and primates were nowhere near as rare as sentient birds (or reptiles), but they as an order had never really come and settled in Zootopia for whatever reason or other.

Which contrasted sharply to red pandas, who had a history of migrating to the west coast of North America from Asia. Given Zootopia's neutrality in WW2, many mammals of Japanese descent had then moved there from the western seaboard in order to escape internment. Two of her grandparents had done just that, with a third moving years after getting out of the camps. It was also why the city had large numbers of tanukis, more than the rest of the States and Canidea combined, much to its benefit. Some of their businesses had grown into global giants while still headquartering here, Nook Incorporated in particular coming to mind.

Whatever the case of all this, Washimi had asked a question and Retsuko quickly answered it.

"Sort of, yes." She quickly explained how things had started with the email that Ton ignored, going to the tax agency, the initial invitation there and then so on and so on. "I mean, the idea of being a tax investigator does sound really interesting to me, but being a full on PI on top of that… It's like the difference between being offered some very nice mochi ice cream, or being offered a full on sundae. The first is really good, but the second is even more really good."

"Oh yes, I really know what you mean," Gori agreed. "It's like having a spa day, versus going to a wellness-rejuvenation experience, complete with manicures and pedicures. Though that might not be so much of an increase for you, given that you have claws, not nails."

"Oh no," Retsuko chirped. "It's a very good analogy."

"Fun to hear."

Washimi nodded, finishing off a noodle with a very quiet and dignified slurp. "Or the difference between standard udon noodles and these."

Retsuko looked down, cocking her head. Washimi's noodles were best described as absolute units, making normal udon look like (her preferred) thin ramen. "No, I don't get that. I didn't even realise they made noodles that thick."

"They're for megafauna," she spoke, bringing up another one and slurping it down, singular. "But they let it go into smaller mammal bowls too. Most of the time it's mongooses or meerkats, but the principle still stands."

"What principle is that?" Retsuko asked, nervously.

"They are very effective snake analogues," she replied, completely deadpan, before slurping down another one whole.

"Oh, right, of course…"

"Let's not talk about dietary habits," Gori chided. "I've heard about the triple date and the PI stuff. What about this plan to free the silver fox kit? What role was I going to play?"

"Well," she spoke, breathing in and out. "We think… no, we're pretty certain, that Wassermaim was involved in Bellwether's plot. He's throwing this kid in prison out of spite. Our plan, while also looking into who did it, is to get him to confess by having a friendly mammal get him drunk and probe him. We can then record it, release the tape, and that should help give the silver bullet that can be used to get him out of office, getting in someone who'll rescind the nighthowler act charge."

"So," Washimi spoke. "You're not actually involved in the investigation itself."

"Fenneko is," Retsuko countered. "And she and Haida would always be in it with us. She's the one driving us towards this thing, leading the way."

"-Oooh," Gori spoke. "You're her Watson to her Shirelock."

"Yes!"

"And you're okay with this?" Washimi asked.

"Yeah," Retsuko said. "I mean, I'm taking a back seat in this, and while I'd like to do more I can get why we're doing what we're doing. We've got the hero cops of Zootopia working for him, along with some really talented gadget mammals, Fenneko and her new boyfriend and the boys family themselves, who are all pretty talented."

"Like Spiderpig in civil war," Gori summarised. "You can have your own solo adventures, but right now you're letting the established stars battle it out!"

"Not that I get the reference," Washimi said, "but that does seem reasonable."

"And we've done work already," the red panda said. "After all, I recorded the big confrontation in the ZPD, Haida and I made contact with the reporter and got him on our side and our interview will hopefully bring the city onboard."

There was a pause as Washimi slurped up another one of her extra thick noodles. "So, not investigation, but helping out with the total war."

"Yeah, and if I get the taste for it, I sign up for official PI training. Most of that stuff is supposedly looking at accounts anyway, which I'm good at."

"Wait," Gori said. "Looking at accounts?"

"Most of the private stuff is financial in nature, not all guns ablazing."

"Aaaahhhh… That sounds far more boring."

"I wouldn't say that's a bad thing," Washimi countered. "Tell me, do you know why old incandescent lights usually failed when they were turned on?"

"Uhhh…" Retsuko began, not sure if she'd heard that right.

"-It's because of the thermal shock of them suddenly heating up as the electricity pushes through them. There are old lights which have easily stayed on for a hundred years and can carry on for another hundred. What breaks you are the rare moments of extreme intensity. If you want a thrilling job, that's up to you, but you want to manage your thrills. No-one wants to ride roller coasters every day."

"You can speak for yourself," the gorilla said.

"Yes I can," she said. "A while back, we stopped you going off with Tadano because we feared that you were going to throw yourself into something that you didn't want, but had convinced yourself that you did. What you're talking about now is certainly unique, but it sounds like you've thought it through and do want it, at least as far as you're aware of it."

"What does that mean?" the red panda asked.

"It means that you're happy with the experience so far, but if you commit to this path there might be far harder hurdles further along, ones you don't know about, can't see, don't realise that they're too high. I wouldn't say it's a reason to not go along that road, after all, doing so is the only way you can come up across them in the first place. I'm just advising you to keep it in mind, though with the tax-detective route it seems you already have."

Retsuko paused and smiled. "Thanks. I think I know what you mean. Coming across someone dangerous, right?"

"Right. Have you ever come across someone dangerous before?"

"Well, one time, I returned to my apartment and found the door open," she recounted. "Someone was inside."

"Oh my gosh," Gori spoke, leaning forward on the edge of her seat. "What next?"

"Well, at first I was terrified," she admitted. "I ran, I called the police, but then I calmed down a bit and saw an old wrench on the floor. I grabbed it and sneaked up to my place, ready to face the threat."

"What next!?"

A little smile grew across the red panda's muzzle. "Turned out my mother had copied my keys and was inside, doing housework. That was something and a half to explain to the cop who came."

Gori's mouth hung open. "Mothers really are annoying creatures…"

"I KNOW, RIGHT!"

"It's in their DNA, it has to be!"

Retsuko nodded, as did Washimi. "I have to say, I'm impressed," she said. "Fear of the unknown is arguably the worst fear of all, and when defenseless you acted in the right way. On finding a weapon and coming up with a plan though, you bravely confronted that fear."

She blushed.

"-Still, there is one other type of stress you might have to get used to."

"What's that?"

"Failure."

"Huh?"

"Tell me," she said. "What happens if you have clear evidence that this kit is innocent, but it doesn't matter. He's kept inside, he's found guilty, he loses years of his life and there's nothing you can do about it."

"I think I'd have to keep on trying."

"Sometimes persistence is a lost cause…"

"-But she owes it to her friends," Gori countered. "She owes it to him, to free him, to get him out, to always try!"

"And sometimes bad things happen and you can't do anything about it other than rolling on. Case in point, my first and only marriage."

"What if you were locked up, would you expect me to give up on you?"

"If all reasonable avenues were exhausted, then it would be the regrettable thing to do. Vice versa…"

"Vice versa, you'd mean you'd…" Gori spoke, beginning to sniff up and tremble.

"Don't take it personally," Washimi spoke. "Same counts for Retsuko."

The red panda blinked. "Oh…"

"Again, nothing personal."

"Right…" she mumbled, looking away.

"You cannot win everything, and the higher the stakes the bigger the losses. The more personal it gets, the more crushing the failures. You're like Gori, you have a big heart, but that makes it easier to be stomped on. I'm not against you following this path, I'm just warning you of what you might come across on it."

Retsuko nodded and looked up. "Understood, thanks."

"You're welcome," she said.

"I mean, I kind of had one of those today with Gori being on antibiotics."

"That was very bad luck, but it is the kind of thing that will happen."

"I'll have to warn Haida about it, then we can replan. Though I don't know who else could fill in for us."

She looked up, the two friends in front of her glancing at each other and shrugging. Retsuko sighed. "Though I guess it's only two weeks. Marathon, not a sprint."

"Exactly," Gori said. "Don't give up."

"-Just yet," Washimi added. "But for now, let's enjoy our food. Weakening yourself helps nobody."

Looking down, smelling her ramen, Retsuko couldn't help but agree on that point at least, even if she agreed with Gori on the other point. So owed it to him to always keep trying, for one simple, solid, reason.

.

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* * *

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"So tell me. Why do you look after pup?"

Kris looked up at the polar bear from his breakfast seat, resolute in his answer. "It's the right thing to do."

"People who do the right thing do not end up here," he spoke, his voice hardening. "So why do you do it?"

"Because he's scared," Kris said. "He's young, terrified and the last thing he needs is bullies attacking him."

The bear nodded a few times. "So, you do it because you are honorable?"

"If that's your view of what honour is, then yes."

"And is it?"

"Mostly."

The bear paused and nodded. "What is other part?"

Kris thought for a second or two. "Being willing to accept your mistakes and take them. Being brave. Being strong for those who need you to be strong."

His eyes narrowed as they turned and walked back into the cell block, automatically making their way to a table in a corner, sticking in the same groups as in the canteen. "I did not hear that another child of the family was getting in here," the bear mused.

"Family? As in crime family?"

"Yes," he said, staring down. "And if you are not in my one, then just who do you belong to?"

Kris felt a chill go down his spine, the bear was staring a bit closer, the other members of the small table (all now sitting down) glancing fretfully at each other. "I don't belong to any crime family," he spoke, truthfully.

The bear was silent. "I would have no problem if you were a Big like me, or in the Firm, or under the Red Pig, a Lobos, a Razor, or one of Lang's children. We are predators and we stick together, so I do have problem if you are a liar. Tell me, white fox, you speak of honour but you are not one of the families. So, how did you end up here?"

Kris closed his eyes. He had the truth, he had a cover story that had been worked on. The latter was meant to keep him safe and out of trouble, but given what the polar bear might or might not have a problem with… Still, the people who came up with the plan likely had a far better idea of what these mammals were like than he did. Best to stick with it. "I was tired and made a mistake," he said, sighing. He bent down, rubbing his head. "I lived in the Rainforest District, working part time at this coffee shop. Making drinks, handing out treats, keeping the library books in order… It was just a busy day and I'd pulled an all nighter before, and it was near the end of my shift. I hadn't drunk any coffee as I just wanted to go home after and sleep, and I just had this one cussing order left to deal with." He paused, breathing in and out and sighing.

"A bunch of hippos, a whole family, they were loud and noisy, and one of them saw that I was a fox and was shouting out loud, saying that she'd call the manager and everything. And they were arguing, and it was noisy, and they were shouting out different orders and changing them and explaining their intolerances and I was just going through saying yes-yes-yes. I just wanted it to end. I wrote it all down, the lady said that she wouldn't be giving a fox a tip and her daughter saying that her mommy wished that I was dead. I looked up, said that I hoped speciesists like her got what was coming to them, and left. I put the order in. I didn't deliver it, I was leaving when I heard screams from that table, a bunch of them coughing and spluttering, collapsing to the floor. I panicked, walked back in to check my ticket, before relaxing as I saw that I had written down that they had an allergy. No acorns, we tend to get a lot of squirrels so we have a few things using them and acorn meal and flour. I took a picture with my phone, went home and fell asleep. When I woke up I found out that the police wanted to talk with me."

He rubbed his eyes. "I explained it all, even showed the picture. They said that they had an acorn allergy and I did all the right things. Then they showed that they had the ticket, and a recording that one hippo had been making. They didn't say that 'My family has acorn allergies.' They had a corn allergy, and most of our drinks take corn based syrup… None died, but most were injured. The police were happy to rule it off as an accident, but then I found out it was the District Attorney's family. They charged me with attempted murder. The video with my 'get what's coming' word was their evidence, me taking a picture of the ticket was my attempt to cover myself. My lawyer did his best, we're lining up for a strong appeal as soon as we can, but…"

Kris shrugged, glancing around before looking back down, his eyes catching his uniform. If anything, he wanted to look at it now and not the bear. For all he knew, he'd seen right through him. This… was a mistake. Truth had been the right option, hadn't it? Or he'd messed up the delivery...

He felt a paw come down onto his shoulder, gently. "Look up, brother."

Kris did just that, the bear looking at him softly. "I am Timofey. Member of the Tundratown family. Back during Nighthowler crisis, many of my family hit hard, so I stand up and did jobs to keep them well. After a caribou was mauled by a bear like me, a gang tried to smash and burn uncles store. Young prey punks. I showed them who was boss and threw their firebombs back at them, chasing them down the street to hit the last one with own molotov as he begged for mercy in an alley." He shrugged. "They say that flips it from self defense to grievous bodily harm. So here I am, doing my time. I can blame the evil sheep mayor, I do quite a bit, but it does not matter now. What matters is I have eight months left, and they know never to hurt my family again."

"I threw acid on a pig bailiff throwing us out of our home," an ocelot said, his fur going up. "I was in the police station when I heard that the mayor had done it! It told the court as much, that I was defending myself from her and if they sent me away for that they were just as evil, but they were just mad that she lost so here I am. My family lost their jobs and house because of her and I lost my freedom!"

"I stabbed a guy to death," a dingo said, shrugging before thrusting out his paw. "Nothing to do with that sheep. Still hate her guts, wish it was her I got."

There was a burst of laughter around, Kris joining in, albeit a little nervously. It was only the bear and ocelot who claimed that they were here in part due to the howler scare, though there were other preds in other cell blocks, and plenty more who'd stolen, got into scuffles or been victimised, only touching the lower ends of the legal system and now out. Regardless, the sentiment was universal, they despised her, and Kris began feeling better about his cover story.

"Your name?" the bear asked.

"Kristofferson," he said, before remembering that he had a nametag with it on. Then again, he hadn't looked at the bears, which said his.

Timofey shrugged. "Long name, I like it. Everyone calls you Kristofferson, unless you want it shorter. I am Timofey, nothing else. Leader of the pack."

"The pack?"

Timofey gestured around to the small set of predators on the table. "The pack. We are predators, so we stick together, and we are honorable. You showed yourself that by looking after screamer.

"You mean the pup?"

The bear nodded. "You recognised the sickos and steered him clear."

Kris nodded, glancing over and spotting the wolf and his small posse in one corner. "Those guys."

"Sickos," the bear said angrily, spitting on the floor. "Sick mammals, feel no remorse for perverted things that they did. Lowest of the low. But not all mammals who do that stuff are sickos."

"Huh?" Kris asked.

"Many grow up and are raised by sicko parents," Timofey explained. "They do not know it is wrong. But when caught and learning it, they either see no problem and become sicko, or become horrified at what they did and wish to make it right. Those often become founders."

"Founders?"

"-Yeah," one of the pack said. "'Cuz they've found Jesus Christ."

There was a giggle of laughter, even from Timofey. "Many are founders. Not all believe in god, most not ex-sicko's. They are friendly, ones who took in the screamer."

"Right," Kris nodded. "So, are these gangs or cliques?"

"Both," he shrugged, "you get the idea, smart fox." He then gestured over to another cluster of about a dozen mammals, including the racoon and the capybara with glasses. Most were ones with paws, such as large rodents and even a marsupial, a grey kangaroo. "Those are the nerds. Not just computers. Some very clever, some rich in here, untouchable. Also very nice. But then we have the herd. The herd and pack stay on different wings, we not mixing. They all prey, half of them normal mammals who just want protection. The other half are the pred haters. Not so bad early on, but they really filled up after the howler plot was solved."

"Right, so steer clear," Kris said, again feeling more at ease with his cover story. Pred haters were one thing, but pred haters seeing a pred messing with their howlers… In a way, it was daunting that he was locked in with mammals like that, and the sickos. But there were others around here and he was feeling more confident. Keep his head down, be polite, be sensible, be friendly. He could get through this.

Timofey nodded and smiled. "What did I say? Clever fox. Do any other stuff?"

"I do know karate. I can draw…"

Timofey laughed, looking up to the rest of his pack. "He might be very useful fox too." He looked back down again. "Do not worry. We will not use you for violent stuff." There was a pause, as he looked over to the rest of the prisoners, his eyes narrowing. "But drawing is useful, and I can do stuff with diplomat."


	63. An Anonymous Vulpine 19 (Day 2)

**Chapter 19**

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"Right, and let me just… Ah, it was this one right here," Clawhauser spoke, smiling as he navigated the desktop computer. He opened up the relevant link and sat back, smiling.

"Ben," Catano spoke, turning to them. "What the actual Cuss?"

"W-what?" the portly cheetah asked. "Just a Ewetube channel that I used to enjoy…"

"-Used to enjoy," she exclaimed, frowning as she pressed the play button. A background of somewhere looking suspiciously like a scottish loch, complete with a castle, appeared, with the deck of a cartoon yacht overlayed. Sitting on that deck, laid back in a chair, was a fairly nondescript cartoon figure of a mammal, a paper bag with a question mark on the front on its head and a bowl of what looked suspiciously like honey chomps on its chest. And then, whoever she was, spoke.

"_Hello fellow resistance! This is Gruinard Gal, with this week's episode of The Sheerer, giving all of you lot your free update of the goings on of the Great Cudspiracy. We're starting this week with a big slice of news comin' from the bay area! Now, ACS pharma, who I think I'm gonna call Avine Collaborating Scum pharma from now one, have been working with a certain sheep._" An indent in the screen appeared, showing a picture of a scientific paper. "_Not just any sheep mind you, oh no, this is one of the big ones. Professor Dexter Bellwether, cuss yeah he's related to that one, has been collabing on an investigation with Avine Colabbing Scum on mixin' up antihistamines and other drugs and stuff in inhalers! Inhalers! Now, the cover story for all the sheeple is that it's to try and 'pre-protect' the lungs of those with breathing difficulties and stuff, like we don't know which species is behind that little number rising so much._" The picture changed to show a couple of sheep farmers looking stoically over a chaparral covered slope burning and smoking away, the Hollywoo sign poking out in the far off distance. "_But this just shows how far the cudspiracy has infiltrated the media and like. Is no-one else blowing the whistle or sayin' hol'-up! Letting a howler handler like him make medicine for frickin' kits. In fact, the only mention of this is by the other mammal in charge of this study, a pred standin' up for him. Now, let's all guess which mammal it is, huh?_" The picture changed to show a wolf standing at a lecturn. "_Yup, another one of their braindead sheep-dogs, poor dumb-dumb. They got that lot a looong time ago. Now, I'm gonna say that this is a perfect chance to inject the same taming serum into kits, cubs and even calfs across the world, one quick huff and they're loyal servants to the sheep hivemind. But maybe I'm wrong, who knows what things this could lead to, but I tell you this. If you ain't a sheep, it ain't good!_"

Catano slammed the space button hard and stood back, paws open in a W-T-C motion, demanding an explanation from Ben.

"What? It's just a crazy silly thing. It's not wrong to enjoy that, right?"

"Crazy, silly…" she began, mumbling. "You do realise how ovineophobic this is?"

Clawhauser frowned at her. "Hey, just because you can't understand satire, doesn't mean you have to stop others from enjoying it."

The female cheetah's anger dissipated significantly, instead replaced with a subdued frustration. "Ben, this isn't satire. It's literally someone believing that sheep are evil sub-mammals."

"It is?" he began, before shrugging. "Well, I mean it's still silly. Not like I believe it."

"It's not silly. I mean, do you even know what the name and backdrop is a reference to?" she asked.

"No."

"In the middle of World War Two, the British experimented with anthrax weapons, aiming to perform a test on the uninhabited Gruinard island up in Scotland. Some of their best experts on diseases were sheep, who'd been working against foot-and-mouth previously. One came from nearby and got his cousin's lumber firm a contract to help out. It was meant to be a test on chickens and geese, the regular workers going up there to survey and put in the infrastructure, well before the nasty stuff was delivered. However there was a clerical mix-up, some of the bombs going on the first load instead. When a stack of crates toppled, they exploded, and the surveying scientist ordered the boat to leave for the mainland, stranding the infected there until quarantine facilities could be set up."

Catano paused, thinking back. "It also took a while to find and call up the few hyena doctors in the country, who are naturally immune to the disease, and fly them up there. By the time it was all set up, most of them had died, most of the rescued ones quickly joining them. Thankfully those on the boat were unaffected. However everything was classified until the late nineties, so rumours of sheep taking a bunch of red deer, cows and some preds out and doing horrible experiments on them began to spread. Never mind that a third of the fatalities were also sheep. It's often considered the start of the crazy sheep conspiracies, with the truth just written off as a cover story."

"Ouch," Clawhauser said. "But, it's still silly. You wouldn't really believe it."

Oates leant in. "What about the comments?"

The group scrolled down, wincing as they saw multiple ones in agreement with what the video hoster was saying. Indeed, it had lots of likes and views. "Oh Em Goodness…" Ben muttered. "I mean, I don't believe it… But I mean it's still funny! Listen to her, she's funny. I mean, hold on…" He typed a bit further, revealing a new video. Almost like a telemarketer, she began showing off various improvised anti-sheep weaponry, ranging from burr-launchers to giant sheers and moth grenades to giant razors. Ben chuckled as he watched it. "I mean, it's even funnier now. She genuinely expected those things to work. -It's actually the second video of hers I saw, the one to make me interested in her stuff."

"What was the first?" Catano asked.

"Oh, one about a threat to the honey chomp factory," the cheetah said. "Just looking up cereal reviews, and it popped up in my display. Then, -whoop, down the rabbit hole. Hmmmm, I'll have to ask Judy if that's offensive. -Anyway, oooh. The episode when Nick and Judy busted Bellwether is also really good, lemme just..."

He was broken off by Catano's arm, the cheetah frowning. "We can't watch this," she said.

"It's not like I believe any of it, I just find it funny," Ben justified.

"Ben, don't you think it's odd that you wondered about offending Judy with that statement, but you were happy to go back to watching that video?"

Clawhauser shrugged. "I was just thinking out loud on that one, I mean I'd never think that cute could be offensive, but then Judy came in and you know the rest."

"And what if this was a channel talking about how all preds were savages and working out ways to eat us," the cheetah pressed, frowning. "Or it was hosted by a fox, telling us that all the cute little bunnies are busy on their fields multiplying and multiplying, taking over the world's food supply with the aim of making all preds slaves and then starving everyone."

"Heh," Oates mumbled. "Listening to Pounceheart?"

"There's a fox doing that…" Ben exclaimed before pausing, looking back at his computer. "Oh," he mumbled, "but I mean, I wouldn't believe it."

"But others would," Catano said.

"Yeah," Oates said, "and I was just joking about Pounceheart. He just wants us to boycott burrows' produce until they ban the Fox-Away brand."

"Seems fair," Clawhauser agreed. "I didn't think I was doing anything wrong…"

"But you were," she said, looking down. "These kinds of mammals are out there, stirring up hate between species and against those they don't like. You may think you're above it, but many take their words hook, line and sinker. Then they go out, causing misery and who knows what."

There was a laugh from Oates. "Say, back during the howler crisis, I heard the funniest thing you ever heard. Down on Flock Street, some elderly sheep were just playin' chess, and this ferret or somethin' walks up to them, covered head to toe in cotton wool! He then says the 'codeword' baaa, ram, ewe, and begins asking the sheep if they're really trying to take over the world, an' then beggin' them to at least spare Bugburga as he can't eat grass!" He broke down, laughing and braying a few times before shaking his head. "Now I always thought he was just a few straws short of a hay bale, but I bet you what, he was watching this channel!"

Catano smiled, shaking her head. "Oh, mammals… I mean, I suppose that's harmless. But it often isn't. Remember Esther Akinonyx?"

"Wasn't she a sprinter?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, from Canidea. She was a cheetah, found doping and then banned for a while. It wasn't even malicious, it was due to some medicine she was taking or something and they let her back in after. Harmless, right? Except for mammals like my cousin. Apparently in sports, her favourite subject, others were bullying her, saying that she was a cheater."

"She is a cheetah," Ben spoke.

Oates snickered. "With an A, sonny boy."

"Ah, right."

"Yes, and they teased and teased and teased her. You know how angsty and nervous we can get, she was coming home and breaking down in tears, shivering up and lashing out or running away when her parents tried to comfort her."

"Oh dear."

"Yeah," she spoke. "And it wasn't just her, it was many cheetahs across the whole of North America and even in Europe. Turns out you had some furbook posters going around, 'There's a reason they're called cheetahs'."

"Right," Ben agreed. "I get it now. So watching this, and then sheep…"

"Uh-hu," the female big cat nodded. "I mean, surely you know how hard sheep have had it recently."

Oates shivered. "Trust me kitten," he said, looking at Ben. "You don't wanna."

Catano looked up knowingly at the detective, before down at the rotunder member of her species. "I do the school outreach programmes here and there. Especially after the howler crisis, you had lambs shying away from us, and other mammals blurting out that they'd been up to no good. Even recently, my mother talked about a story contest at her local school. Do you know how many had speciesist sheep as their bad guys? Snooty nosed rams and ewes who rolled around in their limos and had no emotion other than hate, calling all preds filth and treating foxes like they were evil incarnate. Heck, you even whole evil sheep towns, planning to open concentration camps for predators, and killing any that tried to stay there overnight in the meantime."

"Yikes. I guess those are kids though," he said, "but I mean as an adult I can watch these things and say, 'hey, I don't agree with that.' I'm not doing anything wrong."

"You're complicit," she said. "You need to take a stand against this stuff. Anyways..." She trailed off, looking around. "Ever notice that there are far fewer sheep officers in Precinct One today? Only a few were with Dawn, but even those completely cleared began filtering away…"

There was a long pause. "Right," Ben said, looking down at his computer. "I remember officer Longhorn looking real down before he left. He asked me if I still trusted him, thought he was a good mammal and all that. I knew that he was getting side-glances and cold shoulders from others after the howler crisis, but never connected it with this..."

"Right," she agreed. "I mean… -That DA, he kept going on about how we were ovinophobic. We threw it out as it was a dead-cat tactic. But, are we?"

"I don't mean to be," Ben said.

Oates frowned. "Well, I'm definitely not."

"But what if we are and we don't realise it?"

Ben looked away, scratching behind his head and thinking. Oates just frowned further. "Well, I very much am definitely not!"

"Me neither," Clawhauser added meekly. "Unless... -is _Beep-Beep I'm a Sheep_ bad too?"

"The song?" Kii asked. "I'm pretty sure that sheep like that. I mean, it was their answer to Carrot Pop's _Hey-hey Mr Fox _and all made by sheep about sheep. So if Mr Fox isn't antivulpistic, then _Beep-Beep_ certainly isn't ovinophobic."

Oates smiled. "And the music video is better too."

Ben blinked. "No it isn't, it's boring. Mr Fox though has that fox actor who… Say, is it me or does he really look like Nick?"

"Ah," Oates replied. "I meant the _sexy _Beep-Beep video."

Catano groaned, rolling her eyes. "Boys…"

Oates chuckled a few times. "And I take that fox actor and raise that wolf actor that looks suspiciously like Wolford."

"I've never seen that video," Ben confessed.

"Ah, your loss. Anyhow, back to this 'Gruinard Gal', I think I know who she is."

"Huh?" Catano asked, before smiling. "It seems she hasn't been posting for a while. Please tell me you arrested her."

"Her name was Honey Badger, and she was a Honey Badger. Like daughter, like parents I guess," he chuckled. "But, she's the one that Nick and Judy caught after escaping from the nut house."

"It was her? Also, don't call it that."

"Okay then. The funny farm."

"We don't need another Wilde," she said. "But yeah, I remember her clearly. Honestly though, after all the horrible things she's said about sheep, she should be in jail. There's got to be some hate crimes in there, nasty mammal."

Oates nodded on, before pausing. "Hey, look there on the side."

Catano did so, before blinking. "Uh-oh, now those mammals have heard of this case."

"Well, it's Pounceheart," Oates said, gesturing to Catano to press it.

"And that makes a difference?" she said, as a fox was shown sitting down in an interview room, three others sitting across from them. "I… It's the parents! They're getting him involved too? I… -Well, I suppose after how the authorities treated them, I can't blame them for striking out. But still, ZNN was covering them too. Did they really have to throw in with this lot?"

"I wouldn't say it's stooping low," Oates said. "I first heard of that Pounceheart guy during the middle of the howler crisis. I hated his guts, given how we were trying to hold the city together and he was going on about how it wasn't the savage predator crisis, it was the 'recidivism crisis' and all that. Especially when he began saying that we should let these opportunist crooks go free, was encouraging mammals not to listen, how there was a conspiracy going on and by the end mammals should go out, rebel and kick up a fuss. But then I found out it was the mayor! Didn't call it exactly, but he'd worked out something was up, something we all missed, and he was doing what any decent mammal with a spine should do in that case. I've respected him an awful lot ever since. I met him at the start of the wider investigations, it's how I learnt about Honey Badger being Gruinard Gal, they briefly colabbed before he dropped her. Anyway, he's a swell guy, and the stuff he'd found was the perfect starting point for the investigations, he saved us an awful lot of work."

Catano looked on, thinking for a second or two. "So, he being right wasn't a broken clock is right twice a day thing, like her," she said. "But, he still worked with her."

"And he said he dropped her after deciding she was a bit too crazy," he said. "I think with ones like this, you do have to watch them in order to work out whether there's something interesting going on there."

"I'd have thought you'd have been able to work out if they were a nasty mammal like her from the get go," Catano said, still frowning. "And maybe one occasionally gets stuff right, but how many are out there pedelling nonsense that dumb mammals will just lap up? Stuff they then use to go out and hurt others. Is the odd diamond in the rough really worth it?" She paused, spotting the time. "Right, we better get back to work."

"That we should," the horse agreed. "That we should." He watched her walk off, before glancing around and leaning down next to Ben. "Quickly, type in _Beep-beep, what a hot sheep_."

Ben did just that, the horse sitting down, arm around the cheetah and with a wide grin on his face.

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* * *

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Back in the van, they all looked on. "He's Gus alright," Judy commented. Just like his picture, he didn't have a full mask of his darker fur on his face, instead having a brown triangle of fur coming down to touch his nose, along with little crescents surrounding his eyes. He had a black backwards facing baseball cap on his head, an expensive looking gold watch on one wrist, a pair of blue jeans down below and nothing on up above, leaving him mostly naked.

"Name's Gus," he introduced.

"Xavier," Finnick spoke, the screen blurring as Jack nodded along.

"Diego," he said, his voice carrying a heavy latin accent.

There was a pause, before Mr Fox spoke. "Fred."

"What!" Judy exclaimed. "NO! You're supposed to use fake names, not your real name!"

"To be fair," Skye countered. "Nobody ever calls him Fred… -I only just remembered he technically is one."

"Yeah. He's not really the Fred type," Honey agreed.

They were broken off as Kylie gave his name. "Kylie."

Judy just furrowed her eyes and remained silent as they walked on in. The inside was surprisingly decadent, or at least had been at one stage. A long time ago, whichever elephant owned the building decided that he didn't need the little area in the entrance hallway beneath the stairs and converted it into a small mammal annex. A wall had been placed to shut it off from the larger apartment and its door, leaving it with the side window. While the bottom half had been blocked in to allow the door installation, the top half still let light flood into an atrium, various floors opening out onto it as they went up. Judy guessed it could house a dozen or so mammals her size without feeling crowded, a dozen more comfortably and, were it near a major university, it almost certainly would be filled up with students. It wasn't though, and being a cheap small mammal flat in the middle of somewhere unremarkable it had to compete with every other cheap small mammal flat in the middle of somewhere unremarkable. This flat effectively being on top of a mammal made hill also didn't help.

Still, Judy thought, the place would not be that bad, were it not for the mess that the current occupant had made of it. She watched the camera feed showing Gus lead the trio through bags of trash or just trash, slipping past some gym equipment and waltzing over into a huge kitchen area.

"Ooooh," Nick commented. "I'll bet a nickle that whoever built this found a template for easy-build student digs and followed that, thinking it'd be a gold mine."

Judy nodded along, watching as they were shown into a tiled off area, two downstairs toilets, before walking up, Gus giving the tour.

"First floor is my floor," he said. "All mine, from the bed to the bath!"

Judy frowned. "Hang on," she spoke, leaning over to the microphone. "Say, ask if any of the other rooms have baths."

Skye blinked. "What!?"

"I'll explain later," she said, Nick nodding along.

"Thankfully," the red fox added, "your mate isn't as bad an actor as you are."

Indeed, Jack asked the question, Gus laughing. "Nope! What kind of place you think this is? You get en-suite showers and toilets though."

"Yeah," Finnick grunted. "Need something decent to hawk this place given how much you'z charging us for it."

Gus looked at him and frowned. "Hey, my rent buys two very special things. One, no questions asked. Two, you get to pay in cash."

Back in the van, Honey smiled. "Oooh, I get it. Your Weasel lives here as he hustles, and no-one would take him without a real job under his belt."

Nick looked over and nodded. "Yeah, though I already kind of knew that. Before I saved up and got my place, I lived in a bear's basement."

The honey badger looked back at him, sighing a bit. "Hey… Just trying to be helpful. I mean, this is my redemption, you know?. I'm gonna ace it!"

The red fox looked on, concerned. "Well… It's more that you're just helping out, giving us a paw. I wouldn't say it's a redemption or anything."

"It's not?"

"No," Nick replied. Judy looked up to him but he waved her down, taking the mustelid off to the side. "Listen, it's good you're interested in helping Kris out, but we don't want you becoming so obsessed with this that it's like you and the sheep all over again."

"That…" Honey began, before frowning. "That doesn't make logic. I mean, with the sheep, I was coming up with new ways about why they were evil and stuff as I hated them. Here… here I'm trying to help out your friend. Your friend."

"Yes," Nick said, "and that's great. But what happens if you begin to think that everything hinges on that? You start building your world around it? It becomes your world…"

Honey looked at him for a second or two before breaking off, blinking. "I…" she began, beginning to shiver a little. "Okay. I think, that here, I'm trying to answer a big question. Who did this to Kris. As long as I keep my mind on that, on answering that question, rather than proving that it's Duke or Maisy or someone else… Then I'll be okay. Right…?"

Nick smiled, nodding, patting her on the back. "Yeah, that sounds fair."

"It does?"

"It does."

"Phew…" she sighed, shivering a bit. "I was… I was getting a bit worried there."

"No worries," he replied, beginning to lead her back to the screen.

"-Nick?"

"Yeah?"

She paused, holding onto his paw. "Please tell me when I'm getting to the edges and stuff. I want to think I can make the choice myself, but…"

The fox nodded, as they sat down once more. The group were moving on up to the next floor, Judy thinking it through. She leant into the microphone and spoke. "Ask if any other rooms are occupied."

Back in the flat, Jack silently acknowledged the order. "Hey, apart from you, are there any other hombres we might be bunking with?"

Gus looked behind and shrugged. "Just a weasel. Two floors up."

"He in?"

"On holiday," he remarked, as they turned a corner and he waved the three along the open landing. Multiple glass faced doors opened up onto it, long and narrow rooms behind that. "Anyway, all the rooms are like that, basically."

Nick dove in, speaking into the microphone. "Tell him that Xavier always had a Napolion complex and always prefers to be up high. It's why he went to this high up place to begin with."

Nick's advice was redundant, given that Mr Fox had taken his own initiative. "Well, Gus, or shall I call you Mr Pippman? It's always nice to hear that all rooms are the same and that great care has been put into egality; it almost mirrors the ideals behind this building here, even if the complete monosize pattern of the room scales is paradoxically the greatest insult imaginable to the original designers. But, while all rooms are equal, some are more equal than others. -I happen to believe that something to that effect was on a sign at a cult that committed mass suicide, -the one fairly near us, as opposed to the more famous one in south america which had 'those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it' on their sign. I digress. In short, I'd like to view all the rooms, to judge their sun and view potential."

The ferret looked at him, blinking for a second. "Dude. What are you on?"

"A love of life and me in life."

"-And Jesus Christ," Jack cut in. "Don't worry, he's not always like that. When he's chill he's chill, you know? Anyway, we'd like to go up and see the views."

Gus shrugged. "Sure thing."

Up they went, Jack (on Judy's orders), advising Mr Fox and Kylie to take Gus higher up, leaving him and Finnick to inspect Duke's room. Along they went, quickly finding the evidence of mammal occupation, small bits of litter trailing along the ground and a stack of old pizza boxes by one of the doors. Finnick sniffed a few times before looking up and nodding, the pair reaching a door. Holding the handle and turning it they found that, unlike the others, it was locked.

And, while it did have a window built into it, a curtain was drawn over the front, blocking their view inside. They knew this from their reconnaissance of course.

Back in the van, eyes were also on a print out, showing the few pictures of the room that they had. Long and thin, bits of mess across the floor, some areas contained electronic equipment and a printer, for his bootlegging business, while in another area there was a pile of camping equipment and some fishing rods.

Also, highly encouragingly, was a corkboard, filled in with printed off pictures. The resolution was too low for them to view it, so they'd have to get inside. Ideally in a way that didn't count as breaking and entering, and wouldn't raise too much suspicion.

The fennec and hare pair nodded at each other, Finnick peeking over to make sure Gus wasn't looking while Finnick brought out a little thing courtesy of Skye. While Honey might be the crazy gadget mam, the swift fox had her own areas of expertise. Being a mechanic, she often needed to get into and discover faults in very tight spaces, which was why she happened to own an endoscope.

Jack slipped it beneath the door and looked inside. "Yeah, this is it." While he could use the controls to make the end twitch around, most of the movement came from his paws. Combined with the range, it meant that they couldn't just scan the pinboard, they had to get in. Naturally, Finnick had suggested that he just pick the lock. Judy, however, had felt a bit concerned by that, given that it could be argued to be breaking and entering. Nick had countered that the laws were a bit iffy around these informal sub-lets, given that they were in the property itself legally and 'being nosy' wasn't a crime.

Finnick himself thought it was stupid, just go in.

Instead, a more complicated plan had been formulated, with plenty of input from Honey and Skye. He looked on as Jack brought out what they'd come up with. A strip of metal foil, one side coated with a grey paste.

A grey paste made of saltpeter, icing sugar and some woodash. Using the endoscope, Jack pushed it in, slipping it beneath a small fridge that they knew was there from the pictures. Then, adding a little gadget they'd slipped onto the end, they created a small glowing hot ember, soon pressed down on the surface hard. It began to glow, then smoke.

Smoke like there was no tomorrow.

Pulling the scope out, the pair packed it away before carrying on their casual walkaround. Like Mr Fox's distraction one a while back, it served a secondary purpose. Sniffing for any nighthowler. While fairly unique, the strong flora smell of them could still be picked up by canids like Finnick and Mr Fox. Not recognised exactly, but in a place like this there wasn't much else that it could be.

Checking the other rooms, sniffing for any signs that Duke had kept them in there, they soon worked up to the top landing, pausing as they saw that Mr Fox had somehow got Kylie and Gus into a fitness battle.

Both were doing pull-ups over the side, Kylie hanging on by both his feet and tail, Gus' feet held down by Mr Fox.

"I think my point is proven," the opossum spoke, doing another flex up before relaxing down, unhooking his legs and just hanging by his tail.

The ferret grunted, doing another pull-up. "You don't look like you work out. What's your bench press?"

"I don't…"

"See," he grumbled, pulling himself up and over. "You just cheat as you're made to do this."

He gave Kylie's tail a slight flick, the opossum yelping a bit as it began to slip through, only to tighten again. Mr Fox leant over and gave him a paw to get back up.

"So, had a good enough look around?" the ferret asked.

"I'd say so," Finnick said. "But this flatmate. How's he to live with?"

Gus shrugged as he walked past them, beginning to make his way down the stairs. "Keeps to himself," he said. "That's about it."

"Sounds fine by me," Jack replied, smiling. "We were once with a guy who came in shouting and screaming each time the cops picked him up on something."

"Duke just grumbles to himself, a lot. Really did so before going on his holiday."

"Where's he going."

"Oh, he just goes camping in the States, I…" He paused, sniffing a few times. Mr Fox looked at him oddly before raising his nose, sniffing too.

"Do you smell smoke?"

"Yes," Gus grunted, dropping down onto all fours and racing down the stairs, the others following after him. They spiralled down before cutting onto Duke's landing, the ferret swearing out loud as he saw the smoke. "Duke you idiot!" he yelled, leaning in and smashing at the door. He growled, before looking around. "Dammit, anyone have a paperclip?"

"I have some fishing hooks," Kylie spoke, picking a large one out of his hat and handing it over. Gus snatched it, then another, and then began working on the lock. It wasn't a proper lock or anything, just designed to stop people barging in uninterrupted instead of keeping thieves or anything out, so the ferret had it open in seconds. With a swift kick he knocked the door open, racing in with the others following swiftly behind.

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**AN: Y'all should follow Oates' advice, XD. And kudos to Merc_Marten for introducing me to that little ol' video there.**


	64. An Anonymous Vulpine 20 (Day 2)

**Chapter 20**

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After finishing their ramen, Retsuko, Washimi and Gori went back to the offices, splitting off on their way in. The red panda got in an empty lift, got out on her floor, and then slammed herself against the wall as a bawling Kabae ran past.

"Waaaah…." she screamed, almost getting turned into an ailurid pancake by the emotional hippo.

"Retsuko, change of plan!"

She then turned to see Haida run up to her, down on his knees and panting. "Sorry, but it seems we've lost our mammal."

"Wait, what?"

"Kabae," he said, gesturing over. "The obvious one for our mission. I started explaining it to her and she had a breakdown, so she's out."

Retsuko stared at him blankly for a few seconds before shaking her head. "Wait-wait-wait-wait… Kabae? Gori's the obvious one for the mission."

"No she's not," the hyena countered. "I mean, for a start Kabae is a hippo, so she can match him. She's also been wronged in the past by the legal system, so she has a strong motive. She's the obvious choice, you came up with her too."

"No I didn't. I thought you'd come up with Gori too!"

"No…" he said, his face blanking out as he realised something. "I didn't actually say out loud that it was Kabae."

"I didn't say it was Gori, either. I just thought…"

"That you naturally had the same idea… Oh right. Ooops."

"Yeah."

"You weren't thinking what I was thinking."

"Turns out I wasn't."

"Hmmm…" Haida mused. "But still, Gori is a good substitute. Better than nothing."

"Actually, she's on antibiotics right now, so can't do it."

"Oh come on!"

"Still," Retsuko mused. "Maybe Fenneko had her own idea too?"

"Yeah," he said, clicking his fingers. He then paused as his phone buzzed. Picking it up, he slapped his head. "Hmmmm… Now I really didn't think of that one" He then turned it to Retsuko.

"Have you recruited your…" she read, blinking. "That is not obvious, even when you think about it. But, it might work!" she announced, bringing up her phone. Dialing in, she waited for it to connect.

.

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_Meanwhile, in Sahara Square._

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The gentle strumming of a legally 'unconsciously plagialised' acoustic guitar riff rang out, the chords shifting up and down every few beats. They were soon cut over by a sharp, high pitched and slightly distorted guitar, followed by the voice of one George Hareison. "_My sweet Lord… Mmmmm, my lord. Mmmmm, my lord. I really wanna see you. I really wanna be with you. Really wanna see you Lord, but it takes so long my lord..._"

A few mammals noticed the sound of '_My Sweet Lord_' playing out of the locker as they stripped all the way down to their undies, and then beyond. Nobody bothered it though. In fact, most were appreciative. They smiled as they heard it, before walking out, stark naked, into the mystic springs oasis.

A few of them even passed two figures, sitting cross legged, meditating together. One, a yak, hummed softly. "Ommmmm…. Ommmmmm…."

The other had his own, unique, mantra.

"PROTEIN!"

…

"PROTEIN!"

…

"PROTEIN!"

…

"PROTEIN?"

The massive kangaroo raised his ears, before his trance deepened. He knew about the request for help sent to him. He began to feel intune with the universe, the cosmic balance, the great disturbances… The wounded family, and those that came to aid them, who…

He shied away, almost losing it, as he sensed something dark. It was not the thing that had brought that gang together, oh no, he could sense that solitary noble soul holding on elsewhere. Instead, it was a feeling of something that existed in the background of all that was and would ever be, the great fault and schism eternally at the heart of the balance of this world and many others. In a way, it was what the western mystics once called original sin. An origin in innocence and good, only turned in like an ingrown claw before life itself, infecting on and on until it became a bottomless pit of wrong, only exorcised within his own fleeting lifetime. And now, an orphaned satellite of it was in their paws, he wondered if they knew? He recognised it now, it was the woodpecker's burden; he was off, far away, with his comrade in failure. And what of the reformed one, who had once been beside the main body while it still existed, only to redeem himself later and battle alongside both this kangaroo's mentor and the vanquishers of the great evil. Ah, he was still in the city too, where he always was. It was likely still under control. He'd warn his fellow order about all of it for certain, though he was greatly allayed as he sensed the greater of the two great vanquishers very nearby. In the city, sleeping the deepest longest sleep he'd ever felt, but in there nonetheless.

Back to the matter at paw, he felt the presence of a familiar soul… Yes, a student of his. He sensed what was needed, and knew what he needed to do. He reached out, into the strings of longest light that whipped around, before telling them what they needed to know.

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_Yakatomi Plaza_

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Getting back to their workplaces, Haida and Retsuko paused as their phone buzzed. Seeing who it was, the red panda's eyes widened. "He answered back!"

She openned it up as Haida fistpumped. "Yeah! With Protein on our side, we'll be unstoppable!"

Retsuko nodded, before reading on. "His religious powers require him to be a teetotaler."

.

...

"GODDAMMIT!" Haida yelled.

Retsuko grumbled too, stashing it back into her bag. "Come on, there's gotta be someone…"

"SOMEONE TO WHAT?" came a shout, and they both flinched as the ground shook. They turned, gulping as they saw a very angry Director Ton marching up to them. He glared at them, hard. "I've heard that you've been making an awful ruckus."

"Uhhh…"

"I…" Retusko began, only to be cut off.

"Both of you, my office, now!"

Their tails between their legs, they dragged themselves into a small office, Ton following. A sign was hanging from the door, similar to the open-closed ones on certain stores. He made sure to flip it over, so everyone could see what it read.

'_Bollocking in progress.'_

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* * *

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"Mornin' Officer Jones."

The police tiger looked up from his desk to see Detective Oates standing there, looming over him. The large horse had a wheat straw in his mouth and was chewing it slowly but surely. The tiger frowned. "Cut the cowboy act, Slack Jaw."

"That's Mr McGraw to you," he spoke, his Texan accent if anything even more Texan than before. The tiger rolled his eyes as the massive equid sat down hard next to him. The chair groaned and shook a bit as he went down, the big cat glancing at it as he wondered whether it would break or buckle. Oates glanced down at it before looking up again. "Y'all know my Ma' used to tell me not to eat so much chinese food in my school days, else I'd turn into it. You are what you eat, that kinda thing. But Ma' knows best. Look at me now, I grew up to be a one-ton."

"Let's get to business," Jones said, turning to face him. "This about the kit?"

"Yeah, Jones…" he said, pausing as he pulled out another wheat straw and offered it, only to be shrugged off. "Or can I call you Ralph?"

"Ralph or Jones, it's fine," he answered, as Oates let him take it.

"Okay then, Ralph Allen Jones! What on earth was going through your mind when you made that a public spectacle!?"

The big cat flinched back. "It was nighthowlers," he spoke, paws out. "That stupid kit was messing with those things, he deserved everything he got!"

"Yeah, which kit was that again?" Oates asked. "Tell me about the mismatch."

"I… -Okay, there was a bit of a mix-up with the lockers," he confessed. "We were given one number for the fox we'd had the call about, but after checking that he was still in class, the sniffer said it was from the one below. So we sent off to get the caretaker and the list, we thought it was the cousin's locker but wanted to confirm, and then the teacher of the class came out and started asking around. So I went in, saw those two foxes sitting there, and as the kits were already scared at that point I thought I might as well go ahead and get the deed done."

"What, so publicly scaring them more?! Humiliating those two kits…"

"-They were criminals," Ralph said, throwing his paws up in the air before looking down.

"-Suspected criminals!" Oates shouted back. "And one of them was. Not two, one, and you didn't even know which at that point!"

"Who cares, they were handling Nighthowler!"

"Well, I happen to care quite a bit," Oates said, giving his piece of straw a chew before spitting it out the side of his mouth.

"Well, you would for them," the tiger remarked, glaring at him. "I mean, all through the nighthowler crisis you weren't scared. You could fight off any savages, heck you looked like you were looking forward to the challenge, and it wasn't like there was a chance you'd become one. Wasn't a chance that you'd get hit or be attacked by one of those empowered prey punks. Wasn't the chance that you'd get put on admin leave, which happened to me; though out in the city it was getting fired that you'd have to worry about. I and every other pred got screwed over by those things, and then those two little fox punks think they can just deal with them scot free and get away with it? Think they're better than every other pred and can? Oh no. You may think that what I did wasn't pretty, but have you seen a savage pred in the flesh? _That_ is not pretty!"

There was a long pause. "_Two_ little fox punks?"

"-I meant one. There was one criminal…"

"-No, no…" Oates said, his eyes narrowing. "I think I know what you mean, and why y'all did what you did… Especially with the last comment. Which '_they're'_ are you talking about, may I ask?"

Jones blinked, before scowling hard. "How dare you accuse me of that. It was just a slip of a tongue."

"Cat caught it?" Oates said, grinning.

Ralph stayed silent, growling a little.

"Punks… criminals," Oates began recounting. "Didn't you mean sneaky, conniving…"

"You're just putting words in my mouth at this point! Nothing more. I have nothing against foxes, but if he tries to throw the fox bias card in to try and get off with a slap on the wrist, he's deserving of every stereotype speciesists throw at him."

Oates put his hooves up. "Let's step back a bit. Say y'all were angry with them both as they both had a potential connection to this stuff. Is that a fair interpretation of your words?"

Scowling, the big cat nodded.

"So you take it out on both of them, in public, amongst all their friends."

"Maybe those friends deserve to know…"

"-Know what?" Oates shouted. "Because I tell you this, boy. We don't know a thing about this case. There's the chance that the fox with the call planted the pellets in his cousin's locker. The chance it was all the cousin. There's the chance that a third party planted them and…"

"-Oh come off it, that's ridiculous."

"We have two very strong suspects for just that!" Oates yelled, the tiger freezing slightly.

"How was I supposed to…"

"You weren't," he said. "Nobody was, so y'all were supposed to act like it. Now normally, had you confirmed right away that it was the small fox's locker, you'd have had a single cop come in and take him away. Take him to the locker, ask a few questions, then read him his rights and lead him off. I suppose at least you did that last part right! Now, had it been the other fox, y'all should have done the same thing. Wait for the confirmation, bring him out, read him his rights and take him away. Instead, y'all chose to make it a spectacle for the both of them…"

"Oh who cares!?"

"The first child's parents, for a start!" Oates yelled. "Their kit had serious survivor's guilt after all of that, y'all damn well near traumatised him more than the kit you arrested. Heck, it looks like you scared him far more. So, bravo, good job. You terrified an innocent kit, one whose father writes for the papers." There was a long pause, the massive horse leaning down and up into the tigers personal space, giving a long nostril flaring snort. "You feel like a big cat now?"

"Well, he'll know now what happens to…"

"And the others, huh? What about them? They're terrified too. You think you're scared of the howlers, what do y'all think those kids think huh? So tell me, who's the big cat now, boy? And what if the one you hauled off in front of them is cleared? They'll all remember seeing that happen to him, and if any, _any_, are half as thick at getting an idea out of their skull as you are, then they'll still look down at him, still suspect him, going on for the rest of his life because of how you screwed up! _Especially_ those that share your particular brand of biases."

Jones slammed his paws down. "The only biases I have are towards preds who go out and betray the rest of us!"

"And what if y'all were wrong? I mean, the original savage preds had nighthowlers planted on them by prey. Planted at a very high velocity mind you, but planted nonetheless… If they wanted to make a new kind of fear, they certainly succeeded, and you helped them far more than Officer Hopps' press conference mess up ever did!"

Jones seemed mollified for a second or two, before he looked away. "I… Maybe I overacted," he defended, his face scowling. "But I did nothing wrong. We've busted into houses and had to arrest parents in front of children many times before, then taking said children into care. We've got caught in fights on the street between kids younger than those ones and had to break them up. We've dealt with kids barely into double digits using their size advantage to do stuff to species much smaller than them. Heck, one even straight up pushed a mammal into traffic and said they deserved it because of their species. -Besides, even if we'd kept it quiet then, they'd have known soon enough."

"Who says? Pass it off as a health problem with one of the parents, keep it quiet, and as for all that other stuff... Those were all things you were forced to do, this was something you _chose_ to do. There's the difference boy!"

"So, fine," the tiger grumbled. "You're not going to let this go. So, what are the consequences then?"

"Well, for our investigation, y'all poisoned a bunch of potentially critical witnesses straight off the bat, something that's only going to cascade all the way down! They'll tell others, who'll tell others, and wrapping it up with all this stupidity from the DA…"

"-What's stupid about what he did?" the tiger asked with a shrug.

For a second, he was in danger of a hoof to the face before Oates restrained himself. "What's stupid is that any chance of investigating this properly is getting smaller and smaller the more that wrecking balls like him and you have a go at it! We might have students in there who knew things but are scared to come out now. Or who might have remembered things that could have been useful, but now your actions have coloured them all, throwing them off. When it comes to trial, if it comes to that, and any are useful in any way, I bet you that any competent defense attorney will be grilling them alive over biases around that. And let's not forget that the father is a well respected, well paid academic, and this case is already building up the sympathy points! Lawyering up, he could be going after someone like Sam Burmowitz, Eric Badge and Delilah O'Possum, or god forbid Vern Rodenberg for his son, who can have adult witnesses bawling out in tears on a good day. And never mind the witnesses, this whole treatment thing could have a major influence on the entire case and trial itself, potentially throwing any chance for real justice off of it. That's what it means to us! What it means to them is that a bunch will need therapy and the kit, if he is innocent, may lose a bunch of his friends anyways. Both of them may well end up traumatised, and we may end up with a bunch of lawsuits coming our way. As for you, I've talked with your Chief and you're going to be put on review."

"What? Come on! If you think you can label me as a fox hater..."

"Who knows," Oates said, smiling. "I can certainly interpret the evidence in that particular way."

Jones crossed his paws. "Well I interpret it a different way."

Oates shrugged. "Well, your new commander's trademark comes in use here. Y'all be transferred to our Precinct, Precinct One, as of tomorrow, and put under the command of Chief Bogo until your hearing date. Say… a few months away?"

The tiger looked on angrily, only to relax, trying to shrug it off. "When that's over, I'll still be me and I'll be back here and you'll have wasted your time for nothing."

Oates harrumphed, standing up. "And I'm pretty sure that y'all be busted down a rank or two, a tiger with a few stripes of his removed. We'll see. Still, whatever the case, it'll be a bump up after what Bogo will have you on." He turned and left, the tiger crossing his arms.

"Oh noooo, parking duty, Bogo's famous punishment of doom. I'm so scared."

Oates turned back, raising a hoof. "You would be boy, if you've seen the quota he's expecting."

And with that, the horse detective left. He had more work to do, as did Catano. He wondered how his partner was doing right now.

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* * *

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Turning the wheel hard, Catano maneuvered her cruiser around the sharp bend. Quite unusually for a West Coast city, Zootopia was not built on a grid layout. Then again, in some parts, doing so was out of the question anyhow. Such was the case for the Peak District. The name was likely a joking reference to the mountainous region in England, but it was certainly apt. While the Rainforest and Tundra Town were split in two by a sharp backed ridge line, said formation split into two by the time it reached the crux of all four districts, a massive raised hill sheltered between the two lower ridge lines. This was what gave the city its iconic skyline, arguably the most recognisable in the world. The city planners, eager to capitalise on it and knowing its value as an area equidistant from all areas in the city, chose to zone the area itself as the skyscraper district, doubling up the effect as the already raised area soared even higher.

There were drawbacks though.

While there was a roughly square mile of plateau up there, perfect for building super tall buildings, the edge involved a long and just too steep to drive up escarpment leading down to the second highest tier, itself split from the main city by another similar escarpment. As a result, roads would turn and hairpin on their way up, weaving through the still-tall overspill from the central district. The result was an awkward and tricky drive up, requiring lots of sharp turns and plenty of hill starts at traffic lights. Catano relaxed slightly, thankful for the fact that the police cruisers were automatic. She didn't like the idea of doing all of this in a manual (then again, she didn't like the idea of a manual period).

The lights changed and she slowly started on her way up again, weaving up through the ever towering structures. She supposed that this geography affected all transport users equally. After all, the height difference was why the metro system had some of its famous glaring faults. While the Snowcastle Line from Tundratown had a reasonable pre-made slope up, it still came in deep; both Lionheart Avenue and the line's terminus at Peak Street were far down. Then there was the Inner Loop. The original version was just that, an inner loop, serving all four districts, with a shuttle branch then added in Sahara Square, peeling off and out from Heat Street before terminating at Dead End.

For the new business district though, it was planned to send those shuttle trains onto the main line for a bit before cutting west at the closest point in Sahara Square, Olive Street. However the trains at the time had no chance of climbing straight up, so instead the line had to take a long spiral up to and then around the middle tier (probably a good thing, given that (again) due to the geography, the original Inner Loop didn't serve it), passing through Herd, Troop, Flock, Pack, Trip and Hill Street stations (going from a deep tunnel to a viaduct along the way), briefly slipping into the Rainforest (Old Growth City, to be exact) to link up with the many sky-tram termini at Fruit Market before entering the top tier from the west and reaching a much shallower terminal at Peak Street.

It explained why there were no subway connections between Pack street, western most of the bunch, and the earlier inner loop station at Grass Street. The vertical climb from one to the other was massive, with the links instead provided by cable drawn trams (which, while today mainly running on electricity, could still clamp onto the cables in these regions).

However, capacity soon became a major issue, as well as long commute times from Sahara Square given the round-about loop. As a result, a new line was built from the Outer Loop station at Tundra Gate (closest to the climate wall on the desert side) straight up to the Peak District (with two stops along the way, one connecting to the Inner Loop at Cactus Grove). While displayed as part of the Outer Loop, it was completely separate, and had to be. The only way to make the climb was to build it as a rack railway.

Even now, with the planned North-South line, the geography made it hard. Modern trains could climb far steeper gradients, but even so the line had to go out of the Savanna Central tunnel and up on rising viaducts, hitting the lower escarpment mid-way up before passing through its new platforms at Troop street. The branch up to Peak Street did the same thing again, rising out of the ground, onto a viaduct, before entering the cliff part way up; they also had to build new platforms for it, even deeper than the to be abandoned Snowcastle Line terminus, before it then merged with said line just before Lionheart Avenue.

Pulling off again, Catano shook her head. -Why was she recounting this?

Probably to keep herself distracted. She was weaving up in the area around Hill Street, one of the most expensive parts of the city. Not just for megafauna, or large fauna or even medium sized mammals. No, this was expensive period, even rodent sized housing selling for more than the equivalent in the famously overpriced Little Rodentia. Turning one last corner, she pulled up to a large condo complex, shaped like a semi-circle sticking out of the earth but with cladding and decorations inspired by curled ram and goat horns. She felt she was just a bit too tall for it, something reinforced as she pulled up on the road (hanging her police ID on the vehicle) and got out. She'd have to duck to get through the doors and her ears would likely brush the roof going through.

Still, she had a job to do. She walked into the reception, spotting a young looking and well dressed markhor: a mountain goat with long pale grey fur, a long dark beard and two spectacular horns which looked like ribbons corkscrewing up out the top of his skull. With him and the building design, she was sensing a theme, one that made sense given the gradient of the ground that they were on. He stood up, adjusted his suit and tie, before looking at her. "Afternoon, Maaaaa'm," he spoke, part of a bleat working its way in. "How can I help you?"

She smiled, bringing out her badge. "Hello, I'm Kii Catano of the ZPD. I'm here to talk to the Calrama family, are they in today?"

"Sure," he replied. "Floor four, flat 6." He brought out a card for her. "Have a nice day."

She smiled. "Thanks, I'll try to." She silently noted that it would be a tall order as she entered the lift and made her way up. It was at the end of the building and plated in glass, primarily giving her a view of the other tall buildings. In one half though she could see the view out and it was spectacular. On one side, the sharp cliff cutting off the Rainforest district swept down, wisps of clouds curling off of its peaks. Beneath it, framed in, the city descended, revealing itself beneath her. The tall buildings gave way to the mid-rises of the poor Pack Street neighbourhood, before descending again into the dense sprawl of Savannah Central. All throughout, the building colours were peppered with green, before it met the blue of the ocean.

The lift came to a stop and she walked along, noting that the flat in question would have that view. She came to a stop and knocked with a quick flurry of knuckle-raps.

…

"Coming," came a (male) grunt from inside, followed by a pause. "Who are you?"

"Kii Catano, ZPD," she said, professionally.

"Oh," he said, suddenly bitter, angry, aggressive. Her ear flicked back. "Do you have a warrant?"

"No, I just want to…"

"Then cuss off. You hear me? Cuss off!"

"Listen," she said, her ears going down as her face scowled. "I just want to ask some questions, and…"

"And why would that be, huh?"

She bit her tongue, stopping herself from saying something that would be unbecoming of a police officer. Given who his relative was and what she'd done, if he wanted mammals to be nice to him then he should at least try and help out. If he was innocent, of course; if he was guilty of this or connected to the old plot in any way then his reaction made perfect sense given his deplorable actions. Indeed, when Dawn fell he didn't stand up and decry her like his older brother. Instead, he'd tried to run and hide, burying it all and trying to vanish away the past. Then again, part of her wondered, maybe that was understandable given that there were mammals like Gruinard Gal out there…? She shook her head. Whatever the morality, she had a job to do. "You're Dominic Calrama, yes?"

"Yes."

"But it's not your first surname."

…

"I know what happened at that school," he said, blithely. "Honestly, it was only a matter of time before you came to bother us."

'_Well, duh…'_ She thought. "This is just a fact finding mission, I…"

"-You say that, but I bet you have all the facts that you need already," he spoke. "However, you don't have a warrant, so…"

"-How long do you think it'll take for us to get one, hmmm?" she asked, choosing to just go into no-nonsense mode. "And you need that to search the property, not to ask questions. I could take you into the station, for police questioning, something which I have no doubt would be distressing for all of your family. The same would be true of your daughter. If I really wanted to search the place, I could get a warrant, too. Just a matter of time. I just want to ask some questions."

There was a long pause, before he spoke again. "I'm going to record this. Say that again, then I'll let you in, just to talk, and we can discuss these things. I might even let you search a few things, not like I have anything to hide… Not that I think you will believe that."

"Thank you," she said, relaxing. She knew that many mammals didn't trust the cops but, in cases like this where they were offering an olive branch, there was no reason not to take it. She repeated her assurances and there was a shake as the door was unlocked, before it opened up to reveal the ram in question. There really was no doubt about it, he was Dawn Bellwether's brother. He had had the same round green eyes, glasses (sleek and narrow rather than warm and round) placed over them. That was what struck her the most, even before she realised just how small he was. A head taller than Dawn at least, but still notably small for a sheep, though he made up for it in terms of girth. He wore his wool thick, yet still dressed smartly in some black trousers and a grey dress shirt. He had her ears too, very long and thin ones, similar in shape to those of a bunny but firing out the side of his head, not the top. Then there was the face structure, a bit squarer but similar, with two tiny nubs of horns sticking out. Finally there was the way the wool grew around it. He had her big head poof, though here it was cut into a sharp 70's style fro, and her mutton chops, though the wool here was shaved down into a sleek frizz. All in all, he looked sleeker, more dapper, but the cute, innocent, sweet, adorable and evil mayor was still in there.

If you didn't know, you'd never guess. If you did know, you'd wonder how you could ever miss it.

"Are you going to stare at me for much longer?"

"-Sorry, I…" she said, trailing off. "Just you look so much like her."

"Well of course I do, I'm her brother," he said, as he let her in.

.

.

**AN: A few references given to some of the best fictional lawyers out there in the fandom. Can you place them all? Might we bumping into any of them later? Well, guess you'll have to wait and find out.**


	65. An Anonymous Vulpine 21 (Day 2)

**Chapter 21**

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"What the…?" Gus gawped, dropping down to glance at the space beneath the fridge. He darted up, grabbed a ruler, before pushing it under and pulling it out. All that was left was a twisted bit of foil, covered in a light ash. "What the…?"

"Yeah, what the fuzz is that?" Finnick asked, coming in and leaning down. He picked it up and gave it a sniff. He flicked his fingers a few times. "I've seen something like this before, but…"

Gus looked at him, then down again, all oblivious to the actions of the other mammals. Mr Fox was walking around, sniffing deeply as he tried to detect nighthowler scents. Meanwhile, Jack wandered over to the corkboard. Most of the air had cleared so, through the little hidden camera, those in the van had the perfect view of Duke's pictures.

"That's crater lake!" Judy said, pointing at an old picture, Nick nodding in agreement.

Skye nodded. "Look at that picture of a volcano up there, Jack."

The bunny nodded, peeking in. Judy looked at it and smiled. "Looks like Mt Shasta."

Skye frowned, shaking her head. "No, that's Mt Hood."

"You sure?"

"Certain," the swift fox vixen said. "Passed it on a bike trip up to Stergis years back. Back me up here, Honey."

The honey badger looked closer, an eyebrow rising. "Well it's not St Helens…"

"Doesn't matter," Judy cut in. "We can check later. Keep on scanning around."

Jack did just that, giving a quick overview of the rest of the board. There was a picture postcard of a small squat lighthouse, the title giving it as the Cape Bears light. Lower down, there was a picture of a loosely packed coastal town amongst the trees, cliffs rising to the side and some arches off in the distance.

However, Judy's eyes were focussed on one thing in particular. "That picture there," she said, "with the water tower at the back." Jack nudged over, revealing a photo-film era selfie of Duke. Behind him was a low slung garage on the outskirts of a town somewhere, a large water tower poking up behind it all. Judy scowled as she saw that only a smudge of the town's name was present, completely indecipherable. What interested her the most though were the facts that the lot was surrounded by old camper vehicles, a weasel in the background giving one a wash. Judy couldn't help but notice that Duke was sniggering slightly as he gave the oblivious presumed family member a middle finger. "Get in close."

Jack did just that, giving a few wide scans of the corkboard just in case. Backing off, Jack looked down at Kylie, the opossum shrugging and shaking his head, before pointing off into a corner. The camping equipment was gone.

Jack nodded, before turning back to the discussion with Gus. As planned, they'd given an explanation about a grease-stained bit of foil. A takeaway had coated it, it hadn't been thrown away and slipped behind the fridge, getting dried out by the heatsink, before a static spark or something lit the fumes. Not the most likely explanation, but it gave something logical that Gus could latch on to, and he nodded, agreeing, before looking out over the mess on the ground floor uncomfortably. "Right," he mumbled, before glancing around. Jack broke away, looking over at the picture board again.

"It's okay, Jack," Judy said. "We've got that."

The bunny ignored them, scanning closer.

"Uh, Jack…"

"-Hang on, I think I know what he's doing," Nick said with a smile.

The girls looked at him for a second or two before being broken off, the sound of Gus' voice speaking out. "-You looking at Duke's pics?"

"Just swear I saw some of these places before," he replied. "I recognised crater lake, but I'm not sure where that town is."

"Me neither," Gus replied, walking over.

"And I swear that rings a bell," the hare said, tapping on the picture with Duke and his presumed relative.

"You could have asked Duke were he in," Gus replied. "He has a cousin who worked at a camper rental place, ended up buying it a few years later or so. He'll have slipped over there to pick one up, then going wherever he goes."

"I thought you said he was going camping?"

"Eh. Camping, camper vanning, basically the same thing."

"Ever been in a scrappy tent during a thunderstorm? It's not."

Gus cracked a smile. "Guess so."

"Well, hopefully he'll have decent weather in his van anyways."

"Yeah," Gus shrugged, "wherever he is."

Jack nodded, before stepping out the door with the others. They gave Gus a wave, slipped back out, down and around, before making their way all the way back to the van. Nick opened the door, and they all jumped.

Mr Fox looked around, smiling. "So, how much of a success was all of that?"

Judy got up and nodded. "I'd say it was pretty insightful."

Mr Fox smiled and slipped his borrowed aviators back on. "I'd say it was…" _Duuuh-Duuuuhhhhh_ "Fantastic."

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* * *

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Catano ducked down and through the door before standing up again, her ears almost hitting the ceiling. Most of the rooms appeared nice, the pair turning and entering a big lounge. It had a floor to ceiling window with sliding doors, giving access to a grassy terrace, complete with a small pool. Beyond that was the same amazing view of the city.

Inside were the two other members of the family holding back and staring at her. Alicia Calrama, or Alicia Bellwether as she'd once been known, was much more like a traditional ewe, wearing a big blue flowery dress to cover her thick white wool and with the usual brown rectangular eyes of her species. They threw Kii off a bit and she tried to ignore them. By feline standards, she wasn't pretty, but the cheetah guessed that by sheep standards she was. She was nothing like Dawn too: regular sized, even a bit large, for a sheep and with much shorter ears. Her head itself had no thick wool to the sides or on top, it was all a very thin black fuzz bar around her mouth and nose where it turned white. She also had two horns that swept out and down from the top of her head and completed half a loop before ending.

Maisy was a mix. Her ears were short, her wool worn long, her height normal sized for a sheep and there was no giant head puff, just a little white curl up on top of her solid black face. Her eyes were her father's shape but her mother's colour, while her face… The different colour was a throw off, as was the fact that it was a bit longer, but now knowing the truth it really began to ring some bells (no pun intended). She turned away though, burying her head in her mother's side, physically shaking as the ewe hugged her, sending the big cat a warning glare.

Catano couldn't help but shy away. The poor girl was terrified: could it be because of her guilt, or might it be just regular fear? Did she know about mammals like Gruinard Gal?

"You're here to talk to me," Dominic warned. "You so much say a word to her and I'm pushing you out and getting my lawyer onboard. Understood?"

"Understood," she repeated, "though, if she's willing to answer, I can ask questions to help with the investigation."

He turned to glare at her.

"If she wants, she can just stay silent, and you can be there by her side," she repeated.

He didn't look impressed, giving her a warning look before leading her on. Dominic pulled out a key from under a plant pot and unlocked a nearby door. They went into an internal room, the door shutting behind them. It was used as an office, some computers and a desk chair laid out and with band posters (mainly Ewe2) hanging up on the side. He pulled down a fold down table from the wall and brought out two chairs, Catano pausing as she saw that the rear end was covered with a curtain.

He saw her looking and snorted. "You probably hate me already, so this won't matter."

He pulled the curtain away, revealing a huge display case, full of pictures. All of them containing one huge point of commonality; Dawn Bellwether – Alone, in a group, on the mayoral stand, as a lamb, with Lionheart, with Maisy at points in her childhood. Catano scanned it all, briefly catching a glimpse of the other Bellwether brother, the eldest. He looked very similar to the rest, the family resemblance between the three siblings and two parents obvious.

"Well, go on," he spoke, sitting back and opening up his hooves. "Get it out of the way."

For some reason, she couldn't. Sure, she knew what he was talking about. Had this just been the pictures of Bellwether then she'd have been rightfully angry at what was essentially a shrine for a monstrous criminal, even with the family connection. She'd seen things like it before, you still had occasional prey-supremacist 'truthers' who claimed that her arrest was all a conspiracy, even down to her carrot pen recorded confession. She'd endured one long and painful interview where an angry ram had gone on about how the predophile Judy Hopps and her preydophile 'pelt' had set it up and lured her in. She'd called the cops, fearing for her friend, only to be met with a betrayal, a police sting and a deep-faked or impressionist created 'confession'. After that, some rams were picked off the street and labelled as her co-conspirators, Jessey and Woolter blackmailed into making their false confessions. The ZPD had then used fake data trails to justify a purging of all anti pred-supremacy mammals that they wanted to remove, leaving small mammals once more at the mercy of savage preds like her.

When asked why the savage predators had then stopped appearing, he said that the predators had chosen to stop doing it, helping to sell the ruse. It wouldn't be long before they could start it up again, this time knowing that the worse it got, the more blame and vitriol could be thrown at random prey mammals like him.

A rather nasty bunny meanwhile had fully accepted everything that Dawn had done, and had then said she was a hero for doing it and that preds like her deserved everything they got. Both had made shrines to Bellwether, in each case the sight sending a little shiver down her spine and a thrust of bile up her throat. But this one, though, with the evil ewe so ensnared amongst family life, birthdays, parties and all sorts… She didn't feel that. "It feels strange," she said.

"Huh?"

"I'm not sure what to think," she said, sitting down. "Tell me, do you believe she did it?" She'd encountered family members of major criminals before, some of whom just couldn't process the fact.

"Of course," he spoke, looking down. "Maybe I held onto a faint hope at first, but after first seeing her a day after her arrest and asking her, well…"

He left it unsaid, Catano nodding. So he did know, but still kept them all.

"-Maybe you only know her as the monster of Zootopia," he began, cutting her off. "But I've known her all my life. She was there when I was tiny, fussing over my wool or waiting by my bed for me to wake up, joking that she was 'the dawn'. We did everything together, I loved her as you would your brothers and sisters. Do you have any?"

"No," she answered, truthfully.

"Well, given that she was older, imagine that it was a parent who did it. How would you feel?"

"Angry," she said. "Furious that they could do such a thing, mad that they could break my trust like that. I'd get rid of the pictures and publicly call them out."

He held quiet for a second or two. "I love her too much for that," he spoke, plainly. "She'll always be my big sister, I'll always hold onto the good memories and focus on them. Not denying she did dreadful, evil, things, but I can split apart both of those things and try and enjoy the memories she left me."

Catano nodded. She remembered Clawhauser's comments, enjoying those videos while knowing that they were nasty nonsense. He wasn't bad or anything, he was a good mammal, but in her view that was a bad thing he was doing. She felt the same here, though added in was a sense of sympathy. He just didn't want all his cherished memories to be tarnished. Regardless of their differences though, she had a job to do. "Very well. So, are you aware of what happened?"

"A fox had night howlers in his locker. Now you lot have decided that, being a fox, it couldn't have been him. My daughter going to the same school, ah now there's someone politically correct to pin the blame on."

Her right ear twitched a bit. "Is that why you think we're looking at you, political reasons?"

"Well, why else?" he asked.

"I mean, why on earth would a fox have that stuff in his locker?" she asked, her paws going up as she cast her line out.

"I don't know," he replied, crossing his arms. "Maybe he planned to transfer them to my daughters locker but was caught before he had a chance. Maybe, if you insist it was a plant, they were going for her locker but got the wrong one. Ever thought of that? Perfect bit of revenge on the Bellwether family there, nobody would question it, we'd all be guilty the moment it was revealed. But it was found on a fox and, if it was him, then it would be part of a plot that involves him showing certain negative attributes or characteristics." There was a pause. "Ones, often unfairly, thrown out at vulpines, something that's rightfully a great embarrassment to this city. Of course, society wants to look nice and clean and innocent and modern, and those in politics and the police want to make sure that no-one can accuse them of such backward and nasty things as accusing a fox of being sneaky and untrustworthy. Perfectly understandable."

"I'm following you," she said. Given the tip-offs and what she knew, his daughter being the target was, as far as she could see, out of the question. She was tempted to let him know that, so that, if innocent, he could at least be at ease there. But that would be giving too much away. It was best to let him talk on.

"Of course, we then get a fox doing just that. You don't want to look bad, you don't want to ruin all your good work, you don't want to put the narrative back in the paws of the nasty mammals who hate innocent foxes for no reason. Heck, if it had been others reporting this before the big discovery, you guys would probably label them as those kind of fox hating mammals too and throw them out, however much they tried to come back and beg. They're just trashy scum to you, not worth your time."

"-I'd listen to them," she said, butting in. "I took a vow and part of that is to act with integrity."

He nodded. "Maybe you're a better cop than most. But some aren't, same for those further up the ladder. And, for them, having a fox be the bad guy here was a no-go. A sheep, though? Ah, well who cares about sheep. Look what _they _tried to do to our city, they're the bad guys in it."

"-I don't think sheep are evil," Catano butted in, wanting to make that clear.

"Fair enough, again, not every cop. You probably know about ovinophobia and all that, and all the horrible things recently said about my species. In fact, you probably don't want it to be a sheep at all. _But, _you then learn that the nearest sheep to him was Dawn Bellwether's niece. Now, every mammal can get behind that story. There's no fox being shifty or untrustworthy, no sheep being prey supremacists and all in league. It's just an angry relative, seeking revenge, and carrying on her aunt's evil work. She gets put away, everything goes back to normal, everything is fair again, they all live happily ever after. The end." He spoke it out, before his lips trembled. "Except for my innocent daughter, her life stolen, forced to think back on the unfairness of it all as she spends every day locked inside a small cell, hated and beaten by those around her."

"That wouldn't happen," Catano assured him.

He snorted. "Knowing you lot, you'd have her in a chain gang or something."

Catano frowned. "Don't be ridiculous."

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* * *

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_Earlier that day_

.

"Okay dudes," Terrence shouted. Kris and all of the other mammals were outside, standing in the large yard area in between the two wings of his cell block. The sun was mild and the air smelt fresh; if he was going to try and focus on the bright side of life, he supposed that there was a place to start.

He and all the others had had their discussion cut short, all being moved out for their first hour of exercise. One of two that they were given throughout the day. It seemed that fitness was taken seriously here. The giant river otter, dressed in a white tank top and some blue gym shorts, certainly did, though he paused as he waddled up between the prisoners, all moping about lazily. "Come on, give some enthusiasm. Let's get ready. Are you ready?"

"Yes," they moaned.

"Suit yourselves," he spoke. "Time's already started though, and we're doing the throw and kick circuit first. Line up from smallest to largest, then filter out."

The seeming laziness from before was replaced with a hurried rush as the mammals seemingly ignored him, going straight to their final positions. The smallest ones faced off against each other at the narrowest point in the yard, while the mammals got progressively larger as they went out. They then all took four steps to the side, something that hadn't been in the instructions at all.

Kris, the tapir and the little pup were lost in the middle of it all. Terrance chuckled ahead. "You forgot something," he spoke. "We've got new guys here. Right, Kyle. Over between that goat and the kangaroo." The tapir nodded and walked over, spotting a space being made. "Right, and Matt?" Kris looked up to see the pup look up. He was given a place, before going over. "And Kris, between that capybara and hare."

Off he went, slotting in between the two. The latter was huge, brown coloured and probably months away from his 'graduation'. Worryingly, he was a member of the 'sicko's' and not 'the founders', though he seemed to be keeping to himself. The capybara though, the one with glasses, was the leader of the nerds, and someone that Timofey had asked him to keep an eye on. Just why had been cut short by the call to go outside, but Kris believed (and hoped) it was for friendly reasons. After all, the giant bear said he wanted the use of a diplomat, and they tended to be used for diplomatic stuff.

Ideally he'd want a much better read on the whole political situation here before doing anything, but on the other paw there was a giant and, so far, friendly polar bear pushing him on. It was an unideal situation nestled in an unideal situation… But he felt it was the best option to go ahead with it for now.

"Okay, I won't start the timer yet as that would be unfair," Terrance said, garnering a massive sigh of relief. "-But we've got some new guys here, and lost some old ones, one for very good reasons." There were a set of whistles, cheers and claps which almost seemed to catch on but didn't. "So, we do a drill first." He gave a small-ish ball, twice the size of a scaled basketball for the smallest and the size of a baseball for the largest, out. The small mammals began throwing it to each other, slowly working its way further out. There were a few misses here and there, in which case the mammal in question would dart out, retrieve it, go back to his place and pass it along. A big groan came out as the pup failed to catch it, then missed with his throw, the catching mammal having to jog out to get it and bring it back. Soon, Kris saw the ball coming straight at him. Moving a bit, he caught it (realising it was an indoor ball made of squidgy foam covered in plastic) and throwing it along. It carried on up. Terrence, jogging up, limboed beneath it and held up a thumbs up, before watching as Timofey caught it. End of the line.

Then, he kicked it back, the ball making a long return trip on the ground. The hare to Kris' right received it, kicked it fast and high to its recipient, going out to stop it, before returning to his place and kicking it over to Kris. Without thinking, he kicked it straight on to its recipient, the one who'd thrown it to him earlier. He didn't have to move to intercept it, and kicked it back to the capybara, who then pushed it back across, his partner having to take a few steps but overall not going out of his way. The ball made it back to the pup, or Matt, Kris realised. He caught it and gave it a strong kick, making it fly up. Surprisingly it was accurate, albeit requiring his partner to catch it; though he then just dropped it on the floor and passed it on. "Careful now," Terrence said, jogging back the other way. He stopped as the ball returned to the finish.

"Okay," he said, looking around. "I know it'll take longer today as we've got some new guests in, but I'll be a bit sneaky and pro-rata up the numbers for this and the other exercises. Sound good?"

He was met by a bunch of cheering, before he passed the ball on, letting it start its journey for real. "Don't tell anyone!" he joked, met with a bunch of chuckles and 'no sir's.' He soon put in another ball, then another, and by the time one reached Kris a fifth. He caught it and threw it on, before a voice spoke up.

"You want to do it as fast as you can." It was the capybara.

"Why's that? I mean, everyone is obviously into their sports here. I'd presume there's some kind of competition."

"Cuss yeah there is," he said, as he caught a ball and chucked it on, its recipient having to lean out and down to catch it.

"So what's the reward?" Kris asked, catching the ball and throwing it along perfectly.

The big rodent looked at him and smiled. "First dibs on lunch!"

"Huh?"

"I said first…" he began, only to cut off as he grabbed a ball and chucked it on. "Dibs on lunch. You know how we and the other cell blocks rotate for first time in for breakfast?"

"Yeah," Kris said, catching a ball and passing it. He paused as he saw the very first ball rolling back his way on the floor, before kicking it off.

"Well, for lunch, the more your cell blocks score…" he cut off to kick the ball on. "The earlier you get let in. Same for dinner. Better chance of getting the good options and not being with the leftover crap."

Kris blinked before nodding, pausing as another thrown ball was coming up. He let the capybara throw it before carrying on. "I suppose that's a good way to encourage us to exercise."

"Cuss yeah," he chuckled, "clever screws."

The ball came and Kris, having an idea, hit it back like a volleyball. He was just about the right size for it to line up, and off it went, straight to his partner as a ball was kicked back. Kris kicked it back over.

"-You're good!" the large rodent said.

"Thanks."

"Preds will like you," he said. "They just get one meat option, plus pizza. There tends to be a veggie salad too. If you don't like the meat…" he began, pausing to kick the ball on. "You wanna be in early, get something else before it's out."

"I guess it's similar for sides and desert?"

"Clever fox," he said, catching a ball and throwing it on. "I got in not long after the howler crisis," he said. "Cussing herd was filling up with arrested pred haters, and the old boys still hadn't calmed down after it."

"Right…" Kris said, throwing on the ball.

"So they striked, trying to screw over preds," he muttered. "But all other blocks did that, and the screws made strikers go super last, which just helped the preds. So they then tried going 'slow'."

"But with all the other blocks," Kris began, kicking a ball on.

"Yup! Stupid thing only lasted my first month. They like good food more than they hate preds. Say, what you in for?"

"Well, it's a…" he began, only for the mammal to his side to cut him off, even as he kicked off his new ball.

"-No sob stories!" he grunted. "I did serious assault."

Kris' head tilted slightly. "That's not a legal…"

"Who cares? It's the basics," he said, carrying on his motions with the balls. "Your turn."

"I…" Kris began, before spotting two balls, bunched together, coming over his way. He kicked them on. "I accidentally poisoned a family."

"What did I say about sob stories," he said, as the balls, a bit further apart, came to him. He stopped and kicked the first but missed the second, going back to the wall to grab it and kick it on. The recipient was already holding a ball, waiting to throw it on. Looking further down, Kris realised that Terrance was spending a lot of time with the pup, helping him catch and kick. Teaching him and doing the technique, but occasionally doing it for him with a smile on his muzzle. The others around him seemed to appreciate it, though they would have given that it was helping their block.

"I asked…"

"I was just giving context," Kris replied, punting on another ball, then kicking on a second. "I was a waiter in a cafe. It was an accident, they were loud, noisy, I misheard them talking about which allergy they had… They said it was deliberate and filmed an argument I had with them. My family is going to get a good lawyer and appeal."

"Well good luck," he said. "I yeeted a mouse."

Kris was stuck with the image of the seemingly friendly rodent next to him chucking a much smaller member of his order like a baseball. "Why would you yeet a mouse?"

"I was cussed off about an argument with my step dad after he'd stolen my computer… -I built it with my own money! Went for a walk on some scrap of land, a mouse began screaming at me about trespassing and I lost it. So I went down, grabbed him, and chucked him." A ball came his way and he kicked it off; it flew up and bounced away, its recipient having to jog out and intercept it. "Cuss," he spoke. "Didn't mean to do that."

"Is he okay?"

"Landed in some brambles."

"Those are big for mice," Kris couldn't help but note.

"I remember at my trial," he said, bringing up his paw and drawing a long line down his forearm. "Schuuuuuuck…. -Said they almost have to take it off." He turned back to pass on his balls.

"Do you regret it?"

"Well I'm stupid for doing it," he grunted. "But I only got two and a half years, and I've less than one left. You?"

Kris punted a ball along. "Five," he said, seeing as it was what had been agreed for his cover story. Enough so that it covered all the time he'd spend here if…

It took a ball hitting his foot to break him out of that. He kicked it on, before feeling a wash of fear and worry come over him. He closed his eyes and focussed. No, his friends were going to fix this. It would all be okay. He could trust them, be strong for them. Be strong for his father.

"-And I mean my scat-dad being the start of the argument, then saying I didn't deserve anything more than a court lawyer and that what I got I'd deserve…" He broke off to kick on. "Well, my mother finally kicked him out and he's no longer my scat dad." He paused and smiled. "So, by dumb luck I think I came out of this okay."

"O...kay?" Kris asked.

The capybara turned to him. "Once you get used to it, this place isn't bad," he said. "And prison is for two and a half years. A scat dad is for life."

"I guess it's a good thing to look on the brighter side," Kris mumbled out, pausing as a whistle blew. Terrance walked out. "Okay! Double-looping now."

What followed involved all the mammals getting into two loops, one (smaller mammals) inside the other. They then had to jog in circles, unable to overtake so stuck at the pace of the slowest in the group. However, four mammals from each circle could stand out, swapping in with any mammal with their paw up once they'd completed a lap (marked by Terrance, who stood between the two, organising and counting everything). Kris was in the size area where he could go into either but, feeling fit, he went into the outer one. He didn't need to swap out during the running, though by the end he welcomed the rest. Others had taken longer out, especially Matt, who he'd seen kneeling by Terrance and catching his breath on exactly seven of the twenty nine laps they managed in the time given. The otter, who'd been shouting encouragement or patting mammals on the back throughout, then directed them into push-up, sit-up and other exercises, finishing off with a modified version of a beep test.

Once more, mammals lined up from smallest to largest, the bigger they were the longer the distance to the other wall. The beep sounded and mammals jogged forward much faster than Kris would expect; he went along, finding that either the beep was much shorter than usual or Terrance could make it sound as soon as the last mammal was in. Then they went back again, the beeps getting closer and closer together, until the first mammal (Matt, as expected). Dropped out.

"You can still take part, but it only counts if you complete it."

For the next few runs, he stayed put, soon joined by a few others. However, after a rest they tried joining in again, while he stayed put. He was soon getting shouted at, especially by the other predators. They told him what was at stake, telling him that he'd be sorry if they came last and got bad food.

Terrance marched up and ordered them to stop it, and that he better not hear about any bullying because of it unless they wanted him to go 'drill sergeant nasty' mode.

Kris struggled on, finally missing one beep and sitting down for a rest. The others ran across to the other side, the beep went off, and Terrance blew his whistle. "Okay, brilliant job you guys. It's over now, have fun in school."

The mammals began wandering off, Kris joining them. It had been a thorough exercise session and his limbs were tired. Sitting down in a chair, just having to listen and write stuff, that felt good…

Passing Terrance, the otter gave him a wink and a thumbs up, Kris returning a smile and a nod.

It then occurred to him. Were he the kind of angry mammal who would cause a lot of mischief, he wouldn't be feeling like that now. Too worked out. Of course, Terrance and the whole prison staff probably knew this.

After all, why stick two bouts of physical exercise into the schedule, one before school and one before the long evening free time period.

He smiled and rolled his eyes. He had to admit, the mammals running this place certainly knew what they were doing. He just hoped that he did.

.

* * *

_._

_Presently._

.

Dominic Calrama shrugged. "Oh, you'd find some way or other to give her your punishments."

Catano took it in, annoyed but nodding along. His confrontationalism was a pain, but this was his daughter she was talking about. She could calm him down, or she could work with it as part of a Hail Mary to solve the case, and she knew right away which one she'd choose. "So, you think mammals would like to blame your daughter for this, for hurting this fox in particular, all as a means of getting revenge for her aunt. But why?"

"Because she's her niece," he said. Slapping his head. "Because she's a sheep."

"That wouldn't be enough."

"Oh of course it would be."

"No it wouldn't."

"Have you even been listening?"

"Yes. Why would she do it?"

"You haven't, have you?"

"Why this fox?" She asked, silently wondering whether they knew or not, or whether he'd lie or not.

"Because he knows Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps!" he shouted.

Catano blinked, before smiling. "And how do you know that?"


End file.
